


A Ruby in the Rough

by GambitsGuardian (vockofalltrades)



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Blood and Violence, Cayde's alive, Death, Established Relationship, F/M, Feelings, Fluff, Frustration, Gambit (Destiny), Graphic Description, Gunshot Wounds, Memories, Minor Character Death, OOC, Out of Character, Past Relationship(s), Past hurt, Romantic Fluff, Sad Memories, Slow Burn, Some kinda AU, Strained Friendships, Tension, Violence, i want my babies to be happy, lots of fluff, lots of gambit, lovey dove, there is no way im writing drifter right
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:01:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 21,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22336720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vockofalltrades/pseuds/GambitsGuardian
Summary: The Drifter has been around for several hundred years, he's lost friends and doesn't plan on getting any new ones any time soon. Ruby, however, breaks into that shell of his. Their partnership has been ongoing for a few months now, but feelings are starting to change. Relationships are falling apart. And neither Ruby or Drifter know what to do.**hi this is going in like 800 directions and i wanna restart and rewrite some of this with diff characters!! that being said. this is a scrapped project. rip. thanks for enjoying it tho!!!**
Relationships: Original Titan/Original Hunter, The Drifter/Female Guardian (Destiny)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9





	1. Trust

**Author's Note:**

> honestly this is just a trash fire i started writing at like 12am on nothing but a bottle of pepsi and some cheezits ive been writing for 3 days at this point and im uploading all 7 chapters i have and ill update you all later pls enjoy

It was a cool evening. There was a slight breeze, and the sun was just beginning to set. This was an active time in the Tower. Guardians moved between Banshee-44, Tess, and Rahool. They also stopped at their vaults to change their weapons out. 

Ruby, however, spent her time hidden high above the Tower. Guardians see this spot every day, but no one climbs to it. Ruby is the odd one out, she claimed this spot as her own. It was easy to look out and see the entirety of the Last City, or just look down and see Guardians moving about.

She sat cross-legged, cleaning her Hand Cannon, Trust. She took care of her weapons, she cleaned the most used ones twice a week, sometimes more if they’re used more. Her Sniper Rifle was leaned against the wall to her side, having already been cleaned.

A Ghost materialized beside her, [You have an incoming transmission, wanna take it?]

She set her rag down on her lap and wiped her forehead, “Who is it?”

[Skye,] the Ghost replied.

“Yeah, put her through,” she stretched her arms above her head, waiting for the all too familiar beep of a transmission acceptance.

_ Beep _

“Hey! Where are you?!” A voice broke through the comms.

“Hi to you too, Skye,” the Guardian smiled. Skye one of her best friends, and a fire team member.

Skye sighed, “Okay, Hi Rube, now where are you?”

She laughed, “I’m cleaning my stuff, why? What’s up?”

A loud groan echoed through the comm line. “Ruuuubbbbbbeeeeeeee. I have a late patrol. Come with meeeeeee”

The conversation had ended, and Ruby stood against the railing of her platform. It had grown noticeably darker since the transmission started. Below her, the shops were closed and only a few Guardians remained. In the City, the lights flickered. She loved this view. Everything was peaceful.

Ruby took in one last view before gathering up her weapons. Her Hand Cannon fit comfortably in its holster on her belt, and her Sniper was draped across her back. She made her way down to the Courtyard, and stashed away her extra equipment in the vault. 

Making her way further into the Tower, she reached the Bazaar. The ramen shop was packed, as usual, but otherwise the entire area was empty. One day, she decided, she’d actually get ramen from there. She turned and went down a set of stairs, leading to the Annex. Empty.

Ruby hummed softly to herself while walking further into the Annex. Not many Guardians come this far down. They usually stop at Ada-1 and head back upstairs. The young Guardian had someone to talk to, however. She turned into a small corridor.

The corridor opened into a small room. Inside was a large Gambit bank, filled with Taken energy. In front of it, was the man known only as Drifter. Hearing footsteps, the man turned away from the bank and towards the entrance to the corridor.

He smirked upon seeing Ruby, “Hey Hotshot, what’s the occasion?” He leaned forward on the railing, and set a tool down on his small workbench. 

Ruby shrugged, “Came to see what’s up, maybe sign up for tomorrows Gambit, the usual.” 

Drifter’s eyes narrowed, “And what makes you so sure I’d let you sign up early?”

The girl propped herself up on the railing, “Oh, I dunno.. ‘Cuz I’m your favorite Warlock ever?” She winked at Drifter, and then erupted in laughter.

Drifter let out a chuckle of his own, and ruffled the Warlock’s crimson hair. “Got me there Kid,” he straightened his posture and crossed his arms over his chest. “Bad new though. Gambit’s off tomorrow. Got some stuff I need to take care of.”

“Aw, come on! You’re joking right?” Drifter just shook his head, and Ruby pouted. “Well, fine, what do you gotta take care of?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“Weellll, if it’s another supply run, I could al-”

“No,” Drifter snapped, Ruby recoiled slightly. “No way Sister. I’m not letting you get mixed up in my business.” He materialized one of his jade coins and began to roll it through his fingers. Ruby had come to learn he does this when he gets frustrated with situations. It was a fidget. A coping mechanism.

Ruby twiddled her thumbs, waiting for him to say something else. He didn’t. “But it’s better to go with someone else. What if you end up like las-”

_ Clang _

His coin hit the floor. Ruby flinched at the sound, her head turning to look towards Drifter. The man wouldn’t let his coin fall. He had a 6th sense for the damn thing. Or maybe it was just he had a good reflex and awareness to everything. His eyes were closed, brows furrowed together.

“There won’t be a ‘like last time,’” anger filled his voice. His eyes opened, and his blue eyes stared into Ruby. In response, she quickly looked away, avoiding his angry gaze. “Last time, it was carelessness that got me into trouble. It ain’t happening again.”

Ruby stared at the floor and nodded. After a long silence, she sighed and jumped from the railing. “I should go,” and before Drifter could reply, she was gone.

  
  


Ruby shook hands with the opposing team. Her team might have lost, but she wasn’t a sore loser. Survival was for the best, and she was far from it. Her teammates, Jasper and Axel were gathering their winnings from Shaxx. Ruby made her way over to the Hunter and Titan, who were angry at themselves for not winning.

“Can’t win ‘em all, right?” She spoke optimistically, while walking back to their rooms.

Jasper sighed, “Yeah, but three in a row? That’s terrible.”

Ruby sighed. Jasper was always too hard on himself.

Everything started downhill when a mission went terribly wrong. The result was a teammate’s, Tenn, permanent death. Followed by his other teammate, Mia, permanently losing her Ghost. The fireteam that reached them first were unable to do anything to save Tenn. They had to focus on Jasper and Mia, who had serious injuries.

Since then, Jasper has been pushing himself overboard; training until he collapses and his Ghost has to give him a pick me up, rewatching his Crucible matches to see where he could do better, and the list goes on. 

Axel placed a hand on his shoulder, “Trust me, I’m pissed too. But dontcha think you’re being a bit hard on yourself?”

Jasper shrugged his hand off his shoulder, “No.” He sprinted off, and being a Hunter… He was gone before Ruby or Axel knew it.

The pair sighed and continued down the hallway. Axel reached his door first. Upon opening it, Skye jumped out and gave Axel a hug, and stuck her tongue out at Ruby. Ruby smiled and waved goodbye, heading to her room.

She arrived at her door and Aries, Ruby’s Ghost, appeared and unlocked it for her. She didn’t have a big place, but it was cozy. The door led into the living room. It had a window overlooking a section of the City, and she had a plant growing on the windowsill. It wasn’t anything fancy, but she had a couch, coffee table, and a bookshelf for when she had free time. Attached to the living room, she had a small kitchen. Her cabinets were mostly filled with quick instant meals, and the stovetop was void of any stains due to it not being used.

One door in the living room led to the bathroom, and the other to her room. Ruby shut the door behind her, leaving herself alone in her small apartment, and made her way to her room. She flicked her lights on and noticed a mass under her blanket. She dropped her helmet and pulled out Trust, aiming it at her bed.

“Get. The. Fuck. Out.” 

The mass in her bed moved a bit, but there was no reply. She carefully made her way around to the side of her bed. Her hand wrapped around a chunk of blanket, and she threw it to the floor. Adrenaline rushed through Ruby, but she stood staring at the mass. It was a person, that was expected. What was unexpected was who the person was.

Ruby dropped Trust, “Fuck’s sake, what happened?”

His eyes were closed, but he still smirked. His voice was hoarse, “Guess there is a ‘like last time.”

  
  


Ruby sat on the edge of her blood covered bed. Drifter laid next to her, covered in bandages, with a fresh blanket over him. The room was a disaster. Bandages, packaging, ointments, and other medical supplies were scattered around. Her helmet got kicked into the living room at some point, and the rest of Ruby’s armor was still on her.

“Hey, Aries,” she called softly to her Ghost. Drifter had drifted off to sleep, and she didn’t want to wake him.

[Yes, Ruby?]

“I’m gonna get out of this,” she gestured to her armor. “Keep an eye on him for me, will you?”

Aries nodded, and floated over to the nightstand where Drifter’s Ghost sat. Drifter was notorious for refusing to accept his Ghost’s abilities. He only uses him as a tool, for scans or hacking. To his dismay, his Ghost also brings him back whenever he dies, regardless of how much he says not to.

Ruby made her way to the bathroom, where she found another disaster. Her cabinet was in disarray, and everything was knocked to the floor. In her rush, she made things worse for herself. She sighed and replaced the items in the cabinet, followed by everything around her sink. Once she was content with how everything was, she made her way out of her armor and into her house clothes.

Trash bag in one hand, coffee in the other, Ruby walked back into the crime scene of a bedroom she had. She took a sip of coffee and winced, she didn’t even like coffee but needed it to stay awake long enough to  _ try _ to tame this disaster. Ruby sat her coffee next to the two Ghosts on the nightstand, and began the tedious task of picking up everything in her room. The biggest problem was deciding if something was used or not. She shrugged, “I’ll just toss it all.”

After an hour of tidying up, her bedroom looked less like a crime scene. All that was left to deal with was blood, and that would have to wait until Drifter woke up. Looking towards the Ghosts, she decided Drifter was in good hands. She made her way into her living room and flopped down onto the couch, where she promptly fell asleep.

  
  


A dull object hit the side of her head. Ruby groaned and opened her eyes to find her Ghost.

[I figured I should let you know he’s up,] she spoke. [He’s in the bathroom. His Ghost is with him in case anything else happens.]

Rubbing her eyes, Ruby nodded. She sat up and placed her feet on the hardwood floor. The sound of rushing water could be heard and Ruby groaned. Drifter was probably showering, which meant she would have to redo his bandages. A tedious task in itself.

She got up from her couch, despite her muscles protesting, and made her way into her bedroom. The blanket she had given Drifter had found its way to the floor, and the sheets were stained red. Next came the task of stripping her bed of everything on it, tossing it, and buying a new set.   
“That fucker owes me,” she grumbled to herself. Ruby stuffed the bloodied sheet, mattress pad, and topper, into a large garbage bag, and threw it at the front door. “I’ll take it out later,” she said to her Ghost, who was glaring at her.

Making her way back to the comfort of her couch, she noted the missing sound of water. Grabbing her tablet, she leaned against the arm chest and pulled her knees close to her chest. The tablet clicked to life, and Ruby made her way to browsing online stores for a bed set.

Before long, the sound of a door opening made Ruby look towards the sound. Out walked Drifter, ruffling his hair with a towel. He noticed the extra pair of eyes on him and looked towards the couch, “You look like a wreck.”

“You’re one to talk, Mr, ‘oh it won’t happen again,’” Ruby retorted. She balanced her tablet on her knees, and rested her arms over top of it. She smirked, “So what was it this time? Informant lie to you? Or was it a set up? Some new group come out of hiding to try and get their hands on you?”

Drifter made his way to the couch, “Look, Kid, stuff’s my business, not yours.”

Ruby groaned and rolled her head back, “Why don’t you trust me?”

The man stretched his arms over the back of the couch, wincing slightly. Some of the scabs were breaking open and starting to bleed. Ruby placed her tablet on the coffee table and went to get a new set of bandages. “Don’t trust a whole lot of people these days,” he replied.

Coming back into the room, Ruby rolled her eyes. She started to unravel the bandages and reapply them around Drifter, “So.. You don’t trust me.” He hummed in response. “Despite that, there’s enough trust in this,” she furrowed her brows together unsure of what their relationship really was, “partnership? that you can find your way into my apartment, which by the way, is pretty creepy.” The man let out a chuckle, and Ruby rolled her eyes.

She taped the end of the bandage to the rest of it, ensuring it wouldn’t come undone any time soon. His shoulder was scarred, and this was just another one to add to it. She began working on some other wounds on his chest and stomach. “But anyway, you know I’m probably one of the few people who would actually tolerate you doing just that  _ and _ also help you out.”

Ruby continued working on patching Drifter up, while he took in the silence, thinking of words. “What can I say,” he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, “You use me, I use you. Not necessarily a ‘trust’ thing.” He looked down at the young Guardian wrapping gauze around his torso. Her crimson hair was a mess, just asked to be ruffled more, just to make her mad. He smirked at the idea, and a pair of curious blue eyes flickered up to him.

“Trust is hard to come by,” he sighed, “even harder to maintain. I avoid it.” He looked down at the woman, two pairs of blue eyes meeting. One pair darted away quickly and going back to looking over his wounds. The other pair remained focused on the person in front of him, carefully taking in her words.  _ Maybe there is a bit of trust in here after all.  _ He chuckled, and threw that idea out the window.


	2. Loyalty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friendships are broken. People are betrayed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im making it seem so much more serious than it actually is with the summary oops

The comms kicked on, Drifter’s voice rang out, “The enemy’s brought up a Primeval, they kill it, they win!”

“I’m coming in with 15!” someone exclaimed, “Can we get the bank clear?”

Without replying, a sniper shot was sent into the head of a blocker. Then another. And another, and it was down. Two more blockers remained, and Ruby ran towards them, Trust at the ready. She tossed a Solar grenade at the group, which kept them burning, and fired shots into them. The blockers wouldn’t go down without a fight, however. The larger of the two Taken fired shots at Ruby, all of which hit her dead on. She ducked behind a barrier, and threw down a rift on top of her.

Jasper came next, and he came weapon blasting. His Recluse was firing before anyone even knew he was there. An arcbolt grenade was thrown to the ground, which finished off the two remaining Taken.

The teammate holding 15 motes ran to bank them. This caused the invasion portal to open, and Jasper jumped into it with a small peace sign.

Drifter’s voice jumped through the comms again, pushing the team to fight off the envoys. And he never failed to let them know they were behind, even with Jasper wreaking havoc on the other side. 

Jasper returned to the fight with 2 kills from their side. The Titan on their team summoned Hammers and did major damage to the Primeval. Ruby followed the Titan, and summoned a sword, Daybreak. She threw bolts of fire at the Primeval, and its minions. The two supers had put a noticeable dent in the Primeval’s health.

“They’re nuking theirs!” yelled the other Warlock.

Without another word, Drifter’s voice cut through the comms, “Fight's over. Opposing team killed their Primeval." At the same time, he transmatted the Taken away, more than likely back to the ascendant plane. He followed up by bringing the teams back to the cold ship known as the Derelict. 

Upon return, Drifter smiled at the winning team, “Hey, you did it. Got me my motes. Won a game in return.” He looked to the losing side, “And you guys suck. Hah, kidding. Do better next time.” He transmatted everyone their glimmer and folded his arms against his chest. “Now get outta here, got more motes to get,” he smirked.

The opposing team cheered loudly, adding insult to injury to the losing team, and made their way back to their ships. The Titan and Warlock duo waved goodbye to Ruby and Jasper, “Always next time! G’Luck Brother! And Sister!” The Warlock laughed at her companion, and the pair were back in their ships. The only ones left on the catwalk were Ruby, impatiently waiting, Jasper, merticiously checking his accounts so he wasn’t underpaid, and Drifter, watching the two.

The silence was finally broken, “The fuck, Drifter?”

Ruby turned to her friend, confused. The Drifter shifted his gaze to Jasper and raised an eyebrow.

“You shorted me,” he began walking towards Drifter. “Ruby got 200 more Glimmer than me.” Ruby followed after her friend, “Jas, it’s not tha-”. Jasper would only reply with, “Ruby, not now.”

Drifter smirked, “Snitches don’t get the extra.”

Jasper stopped in his tracks, causing Ruby to slam into his back. Ruby backed away quickly, giving Jasper his space. Jasper glanced between the two people inside the Derelict. “Snitches don’t get extra,” he repeated. He turned to Ruby, eyes narrowed, “Rube, what does he mean?”

Ruby turned into a deer in headlights. Her eyes widened, her palms clammed up, and the stuttering began, “Jas, I- I-.”

“You  _ sided _ with this lunatic?” Jasper closed the distance between them, his face inches from hers. Ruby shrinked backwards. “You’re joking, right? Right? You’re not going back on the Vanguard? On Ikora? Zavala?” he paused. “On  _ Cayde? _ ” 

Ruby stiffened. She might not be the biggest fan of Ikora, and definitely not Zavala. But Cayde was the one Vanguard she thoroughly enjoyed being around. Of course, his priorities lie with his Hunters, but it wasn’t uncommon to find the two chatting in down time. There were even times when all formalities went out the window, and Cayde would get drunk with Skye, Jasper, and Ruby. 

Jasper grabbed Ruby by the shoulders, “You can’t possibly beli-”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Jasper loosened his grip on Ruby, but didn’t let go. His head turned to follow Drifter as he made his way down his stairs closer to the pair. He stood against the railing, flipping his coin. Fidgeting.

Jasper was quick let go of Ruby and move towards The Drifter, now being mere inches from his face. “You’re. Fucking. With. Her. Head,” he emphasized every word. “And get that fucking smirk off your face before I take it off myself.”

The Drifter raised an eyebrow, “Got Mr. Tough Guy here, huh?” he taunted.

Two hands were shoved into Drifter’s chest, “Fuck you.” Jasper turned and walked back towards Ruby, “Let’s go.” And then he transmatted to his ship.

Ruby hesitated. She looked towards Drifter, and he shrugged. The last thing Drifter saw was a flash of a sad smile, and a flash of a transmat. Then he stood alone, in his cold Derelict. He sighed, and returned to his position to await the next batch of players. But something in him was stinging. 

  
  


It was silent. Only the faint hum of the bank, and the occasional flip of a coin broke it. Most Guardians had already come by to turn in their bounties and sign up for Gambit matches. It had been a couple weeks since the crimson Warlock had been around, and the same with the Arcstrider she was friends with.

Drifter leaned against the railing, flipping a signature coin between his fingers. He still thought of what she said the day he showed up in her apartment. _“You don’t trust me, but there’s enough of something that you’re comfortable showing up into my apartment.”_ _“You use me, I use you.”_

That’s 2 to 1, however. Drifter used her for mote gain, and the occasional patch up. Ruby, only used him for an extra bit of glimmer.

Drifter shrugged to himself, “Life’s not fair, is it?”

  
  


The City was in motion. Even from afar, Ruby could see it. People were moving, vehicles made their way through the streets, and she could see lights flickering in some of the larger buildings. It had been such a long time since she’d visited. She was always caught up in pleasing the Vanguard, running patrols, being sent on missions, or just doing some research on one thing or another.

Pleasing the Vanguard… The phrase has been running in her mind since the incident on the Derelict. Did she want to please them for the rest of forever? Or did she want something else? When she sided with Drifter, she hardly knew anything about him. Hell, she still didn’t know much. He had plenty of secrets.

When he dropped the question, Ruby was stunned. Side with the Vanguard, the people Aries led her to after she was Risen. The Vanguard were the people who took time out of their days to figure out who she was; A Titan, a Hunter, or a Warlock. Or side with The Drifter. A mysterious man, who played with the dark. Someone who just needed a way of getting motes of dark, to harness the darkness even more.

She thought about it for awhile. Ultimately, she sided with The Drifter,

He led her on a hunt to find some tapes. He went into some of his past, his experiences with the Iron Lords, and his distrust of the Traveler. He hates his Ghost, and he’s had run ins with more bad groups than good ones. He spoke of Shin Malphur, one of the many people after him, and he also spoke about the Vanguard. He believes they’re almost as bad as the Iron Lords themselves.

During his final tape, Ruby smiled through it. The man did have  _ some _ feelings. “ _ I want the best for you, kid.”  _ He admitted to liking her, at least enough to save her a seat on his ‘end of the world,’ escape.

The wind blew through Ruby’s hair. It was her day off, so instead of armor, she donned a sweater and pants. She knew Jasper kept tabs on her. He was hurt after the Derelict incident. How could she side with  _ him _ ? His goal now was to keep her as far away from him as possible.

Ruby stood, and made her way back down to the Courtyard. Then she made her way to the Bazaar. She stood staring at the staircase to reach the Annex, and she spoke out loud, “Fuck it.”

  
  


The small room had begun flooding with Guardians. Drifter smirked while transmatting glimmer and hanging out bounties. The smirk never left him. He got to hear the gossip of the day, all without ever leaving his cozy corner of the Tower.

He joked with his veteran Gambit players, and teased the newbies. It was easy to tell them apart. The newbies were all intimidated by The Drifter, and they have all the right to be. A weird dude hiding in the Annex playing with Darkness?

He scanned the room, trying to estimate when he’d be alone again. In the process, he could’ve sworn he saw someone with red hair. He pushed the thought aside, and continued passing out bounties.

As the room cleared, it became more and more obvious that it wasn’t a figment of his imagination. The crimson Warlock had found her way back. He nodded at her, acknowledging her presence, and she smiled slightly. She kept glancing around her. She was nervous, but Drifter couldn’t pinpoint why.

He finished up with the remaining Guardians, and once they were well gone his attention turned to Ruby.

“Glad to see you’ve found your way back, Hotshot,” he shot her a smile.

Ruby sighed, “I don’t know how much time I have.”

“Mmm, you know Guardians like yourself can’t die, right?” He chuckled at his own joke, proud of himself.

Ruby let out a laugh, “I’m not dying, dumbass.” She looked around the empty room, “Jasper’s been keeping tabs on me.” Drifter cocked an eyebrow, and Ruby continued. “He doesn’t like you. We know that. He’s just here for glimmer. And..” she stopped. Her gaze met the floor.

Drifter picked up for her, “Annnnnd to get those Vanguards info on me, I get it.” He shrugged, “Don’t care. As long as he gets me motes, we’re square.”

There was silence again, the chime of a coin breaking it every now and again.

“I’m still on your side,” Ruby spoke softly. She pushed a stray piece of hair back behind her ear before glancing up at The Drifter. He looked like a smug bastard. 

“Oh, I know,” he took a step towards the Warlock, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Otherwise, I don’t think you’d be here right now. You’re always welcome down here, Sister.”

Ruby’s cheeks flushed red, and she quickly looked away. Drifter let out a laugh. A genuine laugh. One he hasn’t done in a long while, not that anyone besides him would know.


	3. Drinks I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some happy fireteam drinking shenanigans, and then Ruby thinks about life.

The Sparrow was crowded. Booths were full, the bar itself was packed, and the music was loud. Ruby wasn’t typically fond of crowded bars, but hey, a free drink is a free drink. She made her way over to a booth filled with friends. 

“Rube!” a tall, Awoken Hunter jolted up and hugged her, “I’m so glad you could make it!”

Ruby smiled, “Wouldn’t miss it for anything. Haven’t had a night with all of us off in awhile.” She took a seat across from Axel, and Skye scooted back in against him. 

“All on me tonight,” Axel raised his glass. His go to was something on tap, mixed with just a bit of eliksni ether. He played a dangerous game using it. Ether, in large doses, can be potentially fatal, but in small doses it can help induce a buzz faster than regular alcohol.

Skye gave Axel a quick kiss on the cheek, before turning to Ruby, “I’m about to go get another, what do you want?”

“Do they still have those lemon vodka things? Those are a-maz-ing!”

Skye laughed, and strutted off to the bar to order the drinks.

The Titan took a swig of his drink, “So how’s Jasper been? Haven’t seen him since Crucible.”

Ruby froze. Axel and Skye avoided Gambit. They’ve tried it a few times, but they both found it unappealing and stuck to Crucible. He wouldn’t understand the Allegiance thing, and he would probably see Ruby as a traitor, just like Jasper does. She curled her hair around her finger, “He’s been okay,” she hesitated. “We’ve been playing a bit of Gambit, and I think Cayde has him running around like a madman or something. I haven't seen him in a few days.”

Everything she was saying was a lie. She was  _ not _ a good liar, and Axel can read her like a book. However, he shrugged it off this time, “Well, maybe some time all four of us can get out. You could invite, uh, whats-her-name.” Ruby tilted her head in confusion. “Awoken, Warlock, kinda has a ‘hawk.”

A lightbulb went off in Ruby’s head, “You mean Mia! Yeah, I’m sure she’d love to come!”

Before long, Skye arrived back with drinks. One Vodka Lemonade for Ruby, and one Tequila Twist for Skye. The conversations kept rolling, and the drinks kept coming. One for Skye. One for Axel. Another for Skye. One for Ruby. Axel downed another. Ruby and Skye took a shot of, well, who cares? And the cycle continued.

Axel stayed the most sober, to make sure the girls could make it home safely. A few men were giving the two girls looks, and Axel glared at them. His glare would, in turn, scare them off. Having a big scary Titan on your side has its benefits.

“Rubels,” Sky slurred, “Who’re you after?” She smiled, and laid her head on Axel’s shoulder. Axel then wrapped his arm around her waist. 

“Noo oneeee~” Ruby giggled. She played with the straw in her drink, swirling it around and watching the ice cubes collide.

Skye tried to pry, but to no avail. Ruby wasn’t going to budge. Skye slumped down into the booth with a  _ huff  _ and Ruby laughed. Axel rolled his eyes, how he hated girl gossip.

Ruby began to sober up, a perk she had over Skye. Skye would get drunk, and take a long while to come down from it. They were both still giggly, but Ruby could form coherent sentences and walk on her own.

Axel finished Skye’s last drink for her, “I think it’s time I get her home.”

Skye whined, “Nooooooo...”

Ruby got up first, pushing her glass to the edge of the table. She pulled her friend up, so Axel could make his way out of the booth. Axel took the drunk Awoken from Ruby, “You heading back to your place?”

The Warlock shook her head, “Wanna get some air for a little. I’ll get Aries to message you when I’m home.”

Axel nodded, and the trio made their way to the door. Skye could barely stand without support, and they should’ve cut her off drinks ago. But, Guardians can’t die, so the only one who suffers is Axel, who sighed deeply. Ruby waved goodbye, and Skye nearly started crying, begging her not to go. After far too long, Ruby had convinced her friend she wasn’t leaving for good and that she  _ will _ see her again. Skye seemed content, and was led away by Axel.

The Bazaar was quiet. Only a few lights lit the area up. There were a few stragglers finishing up a late night meal at the ramen shop, but otherwise it was empty. Ruby sat in Hawthorne’s typical spot, taking in the view of the dark City below her. It was impossible to make out anything other than buildings and lights, but she liked the view anyway.

She was lost in her thoughts. Maybe a bit too lost. Who  _ was _ she after? Jasper would’ve been a contender, but… Ruby shook her head, not with his recent actions. There was a cute Warlock, his name was Ross. Maybe him? She shook her head again. They were only assigned one mission together. They’ve never talked otherwise. What about… No, there was no way in hell that-

“Whatcha thinking about, Hotshot?”

Ruby straightened up, and her eyes widened.  _ When did he get here? _ She turned her head to see The Drifter, leaning back against the wall, taking a swig from a bottle.

He laughed, “What? You mean to tell me you  _ didn’t _ hear loud ass steps coming up those stairs?”

Ruby stayed silent, her cheeks burning red. The burn only seemed to get hotter as Drifter took a seat next to her, stretching his legs out in front of him. He handed her the bottle, and Ruby took it without a second thought. The liquid burned her throat as it went down, and she coughed, handing the bottle back to Drifter.

He took a drink of his own, much longer than Ruby’s. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, “So, Sister, lay it on me. What’s on your mind?”

She stared off into the darkness, not knowing how to answer. Drifter accepted the silence and continued to drink from his bottle. The stragglers from the ramen shop were gone, so it was just the two of them now. Sitting in silence. Passing a bottle of Whiskey back and forth.

The bottle sat against Ruby’s lips, and she exhaled. “Just.. Friend of mine asked me what I wanted,” an almost lie. It wasn’t  _ what _ she wanted, it was  _ who _ she wanted. She took another sip from the bottle and held on to it, “I don’t know if I like the answer or not.”

Drifter looked at her. She continued staring off, but he could read people. She was  _ nervous _ . She clung to the bottle like her life depended on it. He noted her subtle foot tappings on the grass, something he was far too accustomed to doing himself. His gaze returned to the dark sky, and he leaned back, his hands keeping up upright. He shut his eyes, “Well, Sister. Only one way to find out.”

Ruby exhaled sharply, as if she wasn’t expecting any reply at all. She glanced to her left, at Drifter, and studied him. His face was scarred, and he was hiding unkempt hair under his bandana. His beard wasn’t long, but it wasn’t short enough to be stubble either. The blush in her cheeks grew as she set the bottle of whiskey on the ground.

Drifter remained still, his iconic smirk still in place. “Ya’know, if you need to talk more, I don’t spill sec-”

He was cut off by a pair of lips against his. The skin against his was unscarred, and soft. The face close to his radiated an enormous amount of heat. Drifter sighed into it all. It had been too long since he had been close like this to someone else. Far, too long. 

And then it was gone.

Ruby pulled away, almost as quickly as she came in. She looked at him, into his eyes, before embarrassment hit. Quickly, she got up on her feet, and covered her face, “I’m sorry!”

Drifter could only watch as she took off running. She was gone, again. He sat, stunned, staring in the direction she ran. For once, the man didn’t know what to think. Maybe, he even forgot  _ how _ to think.


	4. Ramen Tales

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ikora makes Ruby take a break, to focus on herself. So she gets ramen and learns a story.

She had been running around until pure exhaustion hit her. She practically begged Ikora for patrols, or research. She went to Cayde, asking if there was anything he needed. Ruby needed to do anything other than sit in the Tower, or be anywhere remotely close to it. She succeeded for two weeks. 

She stepped into Ikora’s study, her one place of privacy, and her meeting room. The tanned Warlock gestured Ruby to have a seat, “Would you like anything to drink? I have tea, if you’re interested.”

Ruby shook her head, “No thanks. Is everything alright?”

Ikora flashed a smile, “Always one to get to the point.” She walked around her desk, and leaned against the front of it, looking at Ruby. “Your work has been fantastic. So there’s no worry there,” she paused and let out a sigh. “However.. I’ve been reading your Ghosts’ reports. You’re aware of how they keep tabs on your health, correct?”

Ruby nodded slowly, she could see where this was going.

“Please, correct me if I’m wrong, because things  _ do _ happen,” she pulled out her tablet, and projected reports so the two of them could see. “You’ve been doubling up on patrol routes, which I commend you for. But it seems like you’re doubling up on things every day, leaving you very little rest room.” Ikora paused, and looked at the Warlock.

Her hands rested in her lap, and she was looking down at the floor. 

“I see,” she removed the projections and set her tablet on to her desk. “Guardian, while we all appreciate the work that you’ve been doing, none of us can run on fumes forever. Not myself, not Cayde, and not Zavala. Although he likes to believe he can. Everyone needs a break. Take a few days off. For your sake.”

With that, Ikora led Ruby out of her study and back on to the main strip of the Tower. Ikora nodded a farewell, and went back into her quiet space. Ruby, however, remained in place. She hadn’t spoken to Jasper in who knows how long now. Skye and Axel were out scouting something for Zavala. Mia.. There wasn’t an easy way to contact her anymore, after she lost her Ghost.

She sighed. There was always Crucible, it wasn’t exactly excruciating work. Maybe she could run a Forge? Ada always seems eager for someone to help out. She shook her head, too close.

The Bazaar was filled with Guardians chatting, relaxing, eating, or getting bounties from Hawthorne. She looked at the ramen shop, and her stomach growled. When was the last time she had eaten a good meal? She’d never a huge fan of ramen, but it was better than the instant meals she’d been eating. Ruby got in line, and idea formulating in her head. An idea that scared her, but she had to face her fears one way or another.

Two take out containers were balanced carefully as Ruby made her way down the stairs. Her feet were heavy, her heart was racing, and something was stuck in her throat. But she had to do it. She stood watching two Guardians walk out of the corridor leading into Drifter’s room. They looked at her quizzically and she looked away. Was she really doing this? Could she actually go through with it?

She turned into the entrance of the corridor. The only things in sight were the bank, and the man fiddling with it; Drifter. She took a breath and walked in. Drifter didn’t turn around, maybe he didn’t hear her. Was it too late to back out? Ruby glanced behind her, she could just turn right around. Leave as quietly as she came.

She couldn’t.

She ventured in deeper, and set the two containers on the small workbench Drifter had. His back was still turned. Ruby didn’t know what to say. When she would come down here before, it was an easy thing. Words flowed, because nothing really mattered. But now? Words got caught in her throat. Everything mattered.

Her heart was beating a million times a second, but she stammered out a sentence. “I.. um.. I got you food.” She cringed internally.  _ Really? That’s what you say? _

The silence that followed was crushing. Whatever he was doing, he stopped. Drifter just stared into the bank.

“Been wondering when you’d show back up,” he finally spoke. There was no malice in his voice, and when he finally turned around, his signature smirk was there. He made his way around the outside railing, and returned to his usual spot next to his work bench. “Don’t show up for awhile, and when you do you bring food. This. This is why you’re my favorite Warlock.” He pulled over two crates, “I take it the second one is yours.”

Ruby nodded, taking a seat on the nearest crate. “I.. Didn’t really know what to get. For me or you. Don’t eat this stuff much.” She popped the lids off the containers, letting the smell permeate the room. She closed her eyes and smiled, this was the best smelling stuff she’s had in over a week.

When her eyes opened back up, Drifter had a container in one hand, chopsticks in the other. He lifted the container, as a ‘cheers’, and dug in. Ruby followed suit, however struggling using the chopsticks. This led to Drifter snorting, and choking on some of his noodles. Ruby glared at him, while managing to pick up some noodles and finally enjoy her lunch. There was little chatter as the two enjoyed their meal. There was, however, moments when Drifter would take pity on Ruby and help her with the chopstick situation. 

Drifter was drinking broth before Ruby was halfway done with her noodles. The man sat down his container, and looked at Ruby, “I ever tell you why I’m always hungry? Why I eat fast when I get food?”

Ruby slurped up a noodle, answering between chewing, “You never said anything to me. I’ve heard rumors though.”

He nodded, and leaned back against the railing, resting his elbow on the railing, and his cheek in his palm. “Crew of mine and I found a planet out there somewhere. Nearly pure ice. Too cold for our ships to handle, really. Anyways. We had no ships. We were low on food. We were freezing. It was a grand ‘ol time. Once food ran out, we starved. We died. We got brought back. We froze. Brought back. Starve. Back. Freeze. Back.” He shut his eyes, “Think you get the picture. Kinda why being down here or up in the Derelict don’t bother me. Sure, I can feel it. Just doesn’t bother me.”

Ruby studied The Drifter, and took in his story.  _ Guess.. If you’re hungry enough you’ll eat anything, _ she thought of the Vex, Hive, or Cabal he said he had eaten at one point or another. And it was always chilly in the Annex, it always sent a shiver through her when she walked this far down. It was even colder in the Derelict. She only ever stayed for Gambit matches, so the layers of armor and padding helped keep the cold out. It still snuck in though.

“Whatcha thinking over there, Hotshot?”

Ruby kept her hands on her container of unfinished ramen. It was warm, and keeping her in reality. She looked up at Drifter, his eyes still closed. He looked relaxed. The grip on her container tightened, “Why are you telling me? U-um, not that I’m uninterested or anything, because I am. I-interested I mean!   
Drifter laughed. It was a loud and deep laugh. He wiped a tear from his eye before looking back at the Warlock, “Ah, Hotshot, you got me good.” He exhaled again before he continued, “Remember, the other day?”

Ruby’s face went pale.  _ Oh shit oh no don’t do this Drifter c’mon please don’t do- _

“When I showed up half dead to your place?” he chuckled. He saw the fear on her face fade with a long exhale. She nodded, shoving another bunch of noodles into her mouth. “I uh, said trust’s hard to come by. And that I don’t necessarily trust you.”

She nodded again, staring into her broth, void of noodles now.  _ He’s gonna play this into something about last time I know he is.  _ Her anxiousness kept coming and going, and she knew Drifter got a sick pleasure out of toying with her.

“Ah, calm down, kid. I ain’t gonna say anything bad.” He smirked, “I won't even mention  _ that _ .” Ruby shrunk down as far as she could, and her face flushed red. “Oh, guess I just did. Eh, anyways. Maybe I should think about putting some more trust in you. Keep coming back despite everything, you keep patching me up,” he gestured towards the empty containers, “ _ and _ you bring me free food. You’re not all that bad.”

The moment was lost to the sound of footsteps and chatter. Ruby quickly got up, and Drifter nudged the crates back into place. Picking up the empty containers, Ruby set off out of the room.

“Hey, Crimson,” Drifter called. She looked back at him. “Don’t be so shy next time,” and he winked. Ruby’s face turned red, and she rushed out of the room. Drifter laughed to himself for a moment, before a new wave of Guardians started pouring in to see him.


	5. Scout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby's fireteam is sent out on an important scouting mission, somewhere in the EDZ.

Ruby, Skye, and Axel were sent on a high priority scouting mission. Skye and Axel had previously been in the area, but things had drastically changed. This section of the EDZ was relatively untouched, and it was a goldmine for Fallen. They had been setting up what appeared to be a base camp of sorts.

Ruby peered through her scope, looking at one of the smaller sites around it.

“See anything?” Skye asked.

“They’re kids. Young Fallen.” She adjusted her scope to look at another small site, “12 o’clock, another Young Fallen camp.”

Skye jotted down the information, relaying it to the Vanguard as soon as it was written. “So. We have one big camp in the middle,” Ruby nodded. “And we have... one, two, three… three or more, probably more, camps surrounding it mostly filled with Young Fallen?”

“Think it could some kind of training thing?” Axel spoke up. He had been quiet most of the day, letting Skye take the lead. And Ruby had the sniper, she could see better than he or Skye could.

Settling her sights back on the larger camp, Ruby only hummed in response. Fallen usually didn’t take up so much space with so many camps. There was one large camp in the center, occupants unknown, but at least three small camps with Younger Fallen. If the large camp had a few grown Fallen in them, it would definitely be some sort of training.. Exercise? Mission?

There was a low rumble in the distance. The trio had ignored it for some time, but now it had gotten closer, and seemed to be moving fast. Axel watched the skies, fearing for a Fallen ship. Their backs were to a small mountain, and ahead of them was the Fallen camps. They couldn’t run if they got caught.

“Ruby,” Ruby turned towards Axel, “There’s a ship. Eight o’clock.”

Her scope landed on a ship in the sky. It was coming fast. “Skye, I think we might nee-”

The ear piercing cry of a Fallen rang out. When Ruby adjusted her sniper, it had caught the sun. It shined, outing their location to all the Young Fallen around. The trio looked back to the sky and the ship was overhead, Fallen Dregs and Vandals at the ready.

“Cayde!” Skye yelled through the comms, “I think we have a problem!”

Shots rang out. The rock behind the trio was hit. Ruby got one Fallen in her sights and pulled the trigger.

“Ruby! What are you doing?!” shrieked Skye.

Ruby turned away from her scope, looking at Skye, “They shot us! What was I supposed to do? Let us  _ die _ !?”

The Titan gained everyone’s attention, “We have to move. NOW.” Skye and Ruby quit their glaring contest and looked ahead of them. Dregs and Vandals were making their way up to them. Followed by the Young ones, and then Captains. Definitely a training course of some kind. 

“Shit,” Ruby slung her sniper on to her back, and grabbed a small bag of supplies. Skye led the group, keeping in touch with Cayde all the way through. Axel was in the back. He threw down a shield to, hopefully, keep the team safe for a little longer.

Skye stopped in her tracks, “ _ fuck. _ ”

Dead ahead was a cliff. Left or right, there was a cliff. Behind, were Fallen trying to kill them. Axel pulled out an auto rifle, being the head of the group now. Ruby followed and pulled Trust. Skye hesitated.   
“Skye, it’s either fight or die time,” Axel shouted. 

“But this was just supposed to be  _ scouting _ !”

“Yeah, and sweetheart, things change.” Axel turned to Ruby, “You ready?” She nodded.

Axel ran in head first, shooting the Dregs and Vandals that tried to stop him. He tossed down a Void grenade in front of him, it burst opened to the left and right and left a barrier of Void energy, threatening anyone who goes through it.

Ruby followed behind, taking care of whoever Axel had missed. By the time she caught up with him, the Void energy was dissipating. A Vandal threw itself into her face, tearing at her armor. She yelped, and shot it point blank in the face. Fallen guts sprayed out onto her armor. Another came, refusing to give Ruby a chance to rest. She fired three shots into it before he went down. 

Axel was in a similar situation. Vandals were hitting him hard, but he took it like a champ. He bashed a few of them into nearby rocks, others took bullets to their heads.

Skye hung back. She had an SMG at the ready, but she wasn’t a fighter. She never was. She shook in fear, watching her teammates fight off Vandal after Vandal, Dreg after Dreg. 

“SKYE.”

Taken out of her gaze, she saw a Dreg coming right for her. She gulped, but held her ground. The Dreg stopped short of her and examined her. It was one of the Younger Fallen, which made everything worse for Skye.

“I’m sorry,” she spoke to the Dreg. It looked confused. Skye pulled the trigger, and his eyes widened. He was sprayed with bullets, and then he fell to the dusty path, dead. Skye stared at him for a long moment, before rushing off to get closer to her teammates. 

The Fallen seemed endless. Skye helped to push back a few more, since she started fighting, but every Fallen down, two more seemed to show up. It was a never ending fight.

Ruby peeked over the barrier the trio were hiding behind. She fired off 4 shots into Dregs, all different ones. A Vandal retaliated by shooting at her.

“Ow, fuck,” she cried. She had been hit in the shoulder. It wasn’t the first time she had gotten hit, but the other times she had a rift at the ready. This time, there was a pain in her shoulder until she was able to use her rift again.

Axel hadn’t been left unharmed either. He had been shot at countless times, and he took them all. His Ghost, mixed with Ruby’s healing rifts, kept him up.

“Gotta move. Barrier’s almost down,” Axel called out.

Skye looked to Axel, terrified. The barrier was the only thing keeping them alive. If that fell… They’d fall with it.

Ruby grabbed Skye’s hand, “We gotta go.” Skye nodded. Axel took the lead and rushed off towards the closest rocks for cover. Ruby and Skye followed, with Ruby firing shots off behind them.

The Fallen bullets hurt like hell when they hit. In their short time in the open, they got a hit a lot. Ruby still wasn’t in a position to lay down a rift, and Axel’s barrier was gone.

Axel took Skye by the shoulders, causing her to wince in pain, “Listen to me. Skye. Can you throw a tether. If you can get it in the right spot, they’ll be stuck. We can get out of here.” Skye stayed silent, and Axel pushed on her, “SKYE.”

“I don’t…” she shook her head at the ground, “I don’t have void.”

Axel’s hands dropped back to his side, he sighed. “Best bet is to just keep shooting them. How much ammo you guys got?” Axel popped open his gun and examined the bullets inside. He then checked his bag. He was low. He glanced to Ruby, who had a similar defeated look. Skye’s hand tightened around her last clip.

“Make every shot count, Guardians.”

  
  
  


The fireteam sat against the cool metal of a ship. There was no noise, other than the ships engines roaring, and an occasional snore from Skye, who was leaning on Ruby’s shoulder. Their armor was tattered with cuts and bullet holes, and exhaustion was worn on everyone’s faces. 

A Guardian came out of the cockpit of the ship and looked at the three. “Looks like you’ve been through hell and back,” he said.

Axel nodded, “You can say that. Thanks, by the way.”

The female Titan smiled, “Anything for a fellow Titan in distress. I’m just glad my team and I were around when we were.”

“Oh, trust me, I am too. We would’ve been goners out there. Who knows what they would’ve done to our Ghosts.”

Aries nestled herself into the crook of Ruby’s neck. She was glad her Guardian was still kicking. Ruby smiled and tilted her head to meet the shell of her Ghost better. “Don’t wanna think about it,” Ruby spoke quietly.

  
  


The fireteam leader dropped the trio off at the courtyard, Axel and Ruby thanked her and her team yet again, before she took off with a smile. Axel carried Skye to their apartment, and Ruby lagged behind. She said a meager goodbye, and continued on her way. Once his door shut, however, she turned on her heel and walked right back from where they came.

She found herself in the Annex, curled up in a ball in the corner of a dimly lit room, with a Lightbearer in green watching her.


	6. Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby wakes up, utterly confused. Then some secrets come out.

It was cold.  _ Very _ cold. But she was tucked into a sleeping bag, with a blanket over top of it. She sighed, and pulled the blanket closer to her, wanting the extra warmth. She felt heavier, too. Like she had extra weight on her. She closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth around her.

She ignored the sounds of tinkering. She ignored the music, coming from who knows where. She ignored the sound of someone shifting.

Her eyes opened under the blanket.  _ Someone. _ She didn’t know if she should be cautious or not. What if she had never left the EDZ? What if all this was the Fallen, trying to experiment on her.

...But why would they put her in a sleeping bag? Or add on an extra blanket? Ruby shuffled inside the sleeping bag, trying to see what she had on her. No weapon. Wait, there’s a knife. She pulled it from her boot and clutched to it. She still had her armor, save for her helmet. But, something else was on her. A jacket? She couldn’t make out the color of it.

It was typically a Hunter thing to do, carry an extra knife in your boot, but the Warlock was so glad she picked up on it. She held it close to her chest, staying quiet to avoid alerting to.. Whoever was out there, that she was awake.

The tinkering paused, and it sounded like someone taking a drink. The sound of glass hitting wood echoed through the room. A short while later, there was a cough. A deep, single cough. 

_ Definitely a human or Awoken _ , Ruby decided. She exhaled slowly, and peeked her eyes over the blanket, hoping whoever it was wasn’t behind her. She saw a man, his back to her. He was in a black t-shirt, and had a bottle of whiskey to his right. The man also had a.. Snake... Tattoo....

Ruby blinked. A lot. “Drif..ter?” she called out, utterly confused.

The man straightened up, and cracked his neck. He turned, “Welcome back to the world of the living, kid,” he laughed.

It was odd seeing The Drifter in anything but his green robes, and armor on. He seemed so casual. Ruby inched her head out of the sleeping bag, and sat up in it, refusing to leave the warmth it provided. She looked around the room. In front of her was The Drifter, and a work table. He had laid out weapon parts on it, he was tinkering with something. Beside them, there was another table. This one had weapons too, but they looked unfamiliar to Ruby. There were also papers scattered over it, and his tablet. Behind her was a bookshelf. Of course, there were books in it, but there were also scattered… trophies? The head of a Cabal was enough to make her look towards The Drifter again.

“Like the place?” he reached for his bottle and took a swig before continuing. “Didn’t get a chance to clean it before you crashed into it.”

Ruby tilted her head, she was still just as confused as she was before, “What do you mean..?”

“Hah! You don’t remember?” Ruby shook her head. “Well, alright. I take it you had some long mission or something of the sorts. Got back. And you came straight to ‘ol Drifter. Fell asleep on the floor of the room back in the Tower. Didn’t know what to do with ‘ya. So I closed up shop for the time being and brought you here. Figured it’d be better than sleeping on the floor.”

She didn’t remember anything after getting off of the Titan’s ship. She barely remembered being on it. She looked around again, and pinched her skin inside the sleeping bag, thinking it was a dream.

Drifter stood up and walked to the back of his small room, “Don’t have much here. Most I can offer is some water.” He returned with water, in a shitty, broken cup.

Ruby laughed at the cup, but maneuvered her arms out of the sleeping bag. Reaching for the cup, she froze. Green. Her sleeves were green. Her armor wasn’t green. Nothing she had was all green.

“You there, Sister?” Drifter teased.

Ruby shook her head, coming back to reality, “Yeah, yeah, sorry.” She took the cup from him and he went back to sit on his crate. The water in the cup sparkled, it was so clear. It was mesmerizing, and Ruby felt bad by taking a sip of it.

And then she coughed, and spit it out.

“You ASSHOLE!”

Drifter burst out into laughter, “Gotta give you some hell for crashing in on my place!”

Ruby glared at Drifter, and glanced back to the cup in her hand. It was clear, and it was smelless. It was vodka. He had given her vodka. She tossed the cup, and the remainder of the liquid, at him, “fuck you.”

“Hey, hey, hey! C’mon now! That’s still good stuff!” Drifter whined as vodka came colliding with him and his floor.

Sticking her tongue out at him, she laid back down and snuggled back up in the sleeping bag. On her side, she watched him as he threw the cup backwards, hitting somewhere.  _ No wonder his cups are broken. _ Then he leaned back on his crate and propped his boots up on to the board he calls a bed.

“So how long you stayin’?”

_ Yes. _ her heart replied. Her face filled with red before she even said anything, Drifter smirked, but waited. “I um.. I can go whenever. But..” she looked away from the blue eyes that were watching her. “But honestly, I wouldn’t mind staying for the night.” She didn’t even realize what she was saying until it was out in the air. “I- I- mean! Um! It’s, it’s warm, here. And I don’t wanna leave.”  _ Good save, Ruby, good save. _

There was a silence, and Ruby wanted nothing more than to shrivel up and die.

“You know, Kid,” Drifter finally spoke. His voice was softer than how he usually spoke. “I like you. Really and truly do. Stay if you want, don’t mind it.” He stretched his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, “But. I am gonna need sleep at some point. So we might be sharin’ that blanket. Don’t think we can both fit in the bag.” Drifter opened one eye, to look at Ruby. She was on her side, covering her face with her hands.

He closed his eye, and continued, “I think we both know you won’t mind tryin’ anyway.”

Ruby shuffled in the sleeping bag, “D-Drifter, I-”

“Don’t mind it,” he opened his eyes, to see an embarrassed, but shocked Warlock. “Yeah, I said it. Take it all in,” he laughed.

Ruby was stunned into silence. She didn’t have words for any of this. Her mind was blank. She sat back up, and stared at the man in front of her. His blue eyes were fixated on to hers. She broke his gaze, and took a brief moment to take him in. He looked different out of his armor. His shoulder pads made him look bigger than he was, but he probably didn’t need them anyways. He wasn’t built like a Titan, that’s for sure, but he was a mix of all three. He had the muscles of a Titan, and his body was somewhere between a Hunter and Warlock. His forearms were scarred, which she was used to seeing, but she really took them in. She followed his forearms to his snake tattoo. The tail peeked out from under his shirt. That was new. And it fit him well. She looked back up to his face, and there was something in his eyes. Nervousness? Fear?

Drifter sat up and stretched his arms over his head. He then got up, and moved close to the Warlock, “When I said I liked you. I meant it.”

His lips met Ruby’s. Ruby felt his beard pricking at her cheeks, and she felt the scarred flesh around his mouth. He had the taste of whiskey on his lips. But despite that, this is something Ruby wanted. Maybe needed, even.

Drifter pulled away, reaching a calloused hand up to cup Ruby’s red cheek. He chuckled, “Sorry. Spur of the moment thing.”

This bastard really did have feelings. Ruby freed a hand from the sleeping bag and reached for the collar of his shirt. She pulled it weakly, and Drifter came right back to her, pressing his lips right back against hers.

  
  


The aroma of coffee woke Ruby from sleep. She scooted closer to the wall, and snuggled her sleeping bag, just a little more. A chuckle filled the quietness. Drifter.

“Can’t sleep forever Hotshot,” he propped his leg up on to the ‘bed.’ “I got work that needs done, and you ain’t staying while I’m away.” Ruby groaned. “Plus, you have something of mine.”

Ruby rolled over to look at Drifter. He seemed ready to go, aside from his attire. His guns were on the table, next to his gauntlets, and his shoulder pads weren’t too far away. He seemed to be back to his normal Drifter state; not giving a damn about anyone.

He held out his hand, “C’mon, hand it over.”

Sitting up, Ruby shrugged off the sleeping bag, followed by the gi. The cold hit her like a brick. She handed the gi to Drifter, and quickly wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. “I.. Know it doesn’t bother you,” Drifter was finished up putting his gi over himself, but he watched her talk. “Do you ever get used to it? The cold?”

“Mm, not really,” he stood, throwing on a jacket, followed by his shoulder pads. Ruby watched him all the while. “You’d think freezing to death countless times would make you immune to the cold at some point. It doesn’t. Coffee on the table’s yours. I’ll give you a minute.” He transitioned the conversation so casually. A brief mention of death, followed by coffee. Somehow, he did it well 

He unlatched the bottom of a door, and pulled it upwards about halfway, ducked under it, and pulled it down a tad. There was a very small gap between the floor and the door, but it let in the light and cold. Especially the cold.

Ruby came out a short while later, wrapped in the blanket, but donning the gear she had on the day before. There was snow on the ground, and unusual plants growing out of the walls. Shaking her head, she walked along. The path to the catwalk was simple enough, go straight, turn left, and you’re there.

Drifter stood on his platform, flipping his coin. When he noticed her, the coin dematerialized, and his attention went to her. He made his way down the stairs, meeting Ruby about halfway on the catwalk.

“You know you’re not keeping that, right?” He asked, looking at the blanket.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s cold, give me a break,” Ruby rolled her eyes.

Drifter cleared his throat, “Hope you don’t mind. I made a few adjustments to your friend here,” from the front of his belt, he pulled out a silver Trust. Ruby’s Trust. He had cleaned it, and the silver shined. 

“What kind of adjustments?” Drifter reached out his hand, offering the gun to her. She took it.

“Guess you’ll have to find out.” Leaning against the railing, Drifter looked up into the rafters, looking for nothing in particular. He could see Ruby admiring her gun out of the corner of his eye, and it brought a small smile to his face. He exhaled, before pushing himself off the railing, “Well, Sister, those motes won’t collect themselves.”

Ruby’s face dropped as Drifter spoke. This could have easily been the first and last night they spent together. She didn’t remember much of it, but she remembered the important parts. Most importantly, she remembered the kiss. It was much more gentle than she thought it’d be. Being an egotistical, player of darkness, she assumed everything would have been more rough.

A waving hand in front of Ruby’s face broke her from her trance, “You there?” Ruby blushed, and swatted his hand away, Drifter laughed. “Anyways, Hotshot, you gotta get going. Can’t lock up until you’re gone.”

There it was again. Disappointment. Sadness. Her chest ached. She didn’t want to leave.

However, she nodded. A hand reached over and found itself on her shoulder. Ruby followed it up to Drifter, eyes on her, “Didn’t say you couldn’t come back.”


	7. The City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby takes a day off and heads into the city.

The Last City. There were convenience stores on just about every corner, and small shops lined the roads. Mixed in with the shops were apartments, cafes, bars, and clubs. There was also a school somewhere inside it, but Ruby had never bothered to look for it. Instead, she focused on the shops.

After the misadventure her fireteam had the other day, she needed new gear. Sure, she could patch it up, but she needed new stuff anyways. There were shops for regular people, some of which had items for Guardians, but there were also Guardian-based stores. Ruby walked into one of these Guardian stores.

It was empty, save for a man who looked to be restocking some gauntlets. Ruby smiled, “Hey Russell!”

The man jumped slightly, nearly dropping a pair of gauntlets. He turned to look at Ruby, “Don’t you know better than to sneak up on an old man like that?” He laughed, “Could’ve given me a heart attack.”

Ruby made her way closer towards the man, and began browsing the gauntlets, “Sorry, sorry.”

“It’s been awhile, got almost an entire new stock since you were last here,” he lifted up the gauntlets he was holding. Whoever they were made for, Titans, Warlocks, or Hunters, the gauntlets had a sharp tip around the back of the hand. Probably an ideal for punches. Russell sighed, and ran his hand through his graying hair, “I know you’re picky about your gear, but hopefully something peaks your interest.”

Running a hand over a gauntlet, Ruby nodded, “Yeah, me too.”

Russell was a long time acquaintance. He had helped Ruby get started after some of her first fights. He directed her to long lasting armor that wasn’t too heavy or bulky. Ruby had spun around, admiring the flowing robes of the chest piece. She was more naive then. Instead of crimson red her hair was blonde, her natural color, and so much longer. And she chose yellow for her gear color.

Now, her eyes were dulled, and her hair was to her shoulders. Ruby picked out a pair of gauntlets and made her way to the chest pieces. She looked through the Warlock robes, finding all of them to be long and flowy. She frowned. It was common for Warlocks to have the robes, to appear scholarly, but Ruby couldn’t stand them. They only seemed to get in the way. 

Picking out a pair of boots and a helmet were easy. The boots were basic and black, about knee high. The helmet shimmered as the light hit it. It was white, with accents of silver. Pants were also an easy find, a simple black pair to match the boots. Ruby stared down two pairs, and took them both into a fitting room, she sighed, her least favorite part of any shopping trip. Trying things on.

She exited the room, carefully setting the unwanted pair on a table just outside of it. Something caught her eye. She wandered towards the Warlock Bonds, their signature item, and touched one. It was metal, and it could be loaded with a projection, similar to how a Ghost could. Next to this bond, was another, more simple one. It was made of fabric, but it was strong and held up as Ruby tugged on it. It was thin and green, more color than she would have liked. She shrugged, and grabbed both of the bonds.

All she needed now was a chest piece. She meandered back towards them. She could always run somewhere else and find one. The bell above the door rang, and Russell greeted the new customer. Ruby remembered why she always came here. Russell wasn’t a Guardian, but he wanted to help however he could. He did his best, but got overshadowed by the bigger name-brand stores in the City.

She skimmed through the chest pieces again, deciding on a multi-layered styled one. The outermost robe was black, but the tail was too long. The inner layers were white, with the most inner one being black again. This would have to do. Ruby could get some adjustments to it.

Upon leaving Russell’s shop, Aries beeped into their comm line, [So.. I didn’t want to bother you in there. But you have a message.]

“Important?” Ruby glanced down the street, debating her next move. She could go regular shopping, for actual clothing. It was something she’d been neglecting for a while now. She could stop and grab lunch, there were enough cafes around she could find something. Or maybe she could-

[It was Jasper.]

Ruby stopped in her thoughts. “Jasper?” They hadn’t spoken in weeks. Not since he found out that Ruby pledged her allegiance to Drifter, rather than the Vanguard. Jasper was loyal to the Vanguard, and if you weren’t, well, you didn’t matter too much to Jasper.

Pulling out her tablet, she navigated to her messages. There was only one, from Jasper Vann.

_ Hey, Ruby. Look, I know it’s been a bit. And I know I was a dick. Trust me, I know. There’s a little cafe in the City, it’s called Lil T and C. You might like it. Meet me there. I wanna talk. Please. _

Ruby reread the message half a dozen times. Jasper admitted he was a dick? That’s new. “Aries.”

[Yes?]

There was something caught in her throat. Pushing through it, she continued. “Send a reply back. ‘I’m in the City now, I can head over there. See you soon.’”

  
  


The two sat across from each other. A half eaten sandwich was on Ruby’s side, and some kind of soup bowl was sitting next to Jasper. They decided that eating would be a good start, especially since Ruby got hangry at times. 

Ruby stirred her lemonade, staring at the ice cubes colliding against one another. She looked up to Jasper, who was studying her. His scar had healed up better. During the ill-fated mission, Jasper wasn’t left spared. He got a nasty scar across his left eye, and whatever did it nearly blinded him. His hair was pulled up into a bun, and… He seemed sad. Lonely, even.

Jasper sighed, “Mind if I start?” Ruby shook her head, taking a sip of her drink. “Alright. We both know I fucked up. I shouldn’t have screamed at you. Shouldn’t have kept tabs on you. There’s just a lot of shouldn’ts that I did,” he paused to take a drink. He got iced tea, his favorite. “Obviously. Sorry can’t take any of it back. But, Rube. I don’t trust him. And honest? I don’t want to lose you, too,” he sighed deep and shut his eyes. “Tenn is gone. There’s no bringing him back. Mia is.. Well.. I can’t get a hold of her half the time. She’s never in her apartment. Just.. Running stuff for Ikora. My fireteam is pretty much defunct at this point.” 

His eyes opened, and they were full of pain. Bringing up Tenn still stabbed him in the heart. Then admitting his fireteam was done.. It just added a new level of sadness, “I don’t want to sound like a sob story. But Rube, you’re the only one I have. The only  _ close _ friend I have.” Looking towards the wall, Jasper wiped his eye. He tried to be subtle about it, but there was a tear there. “Don’t want you falling in with a wrong crowd. Don’t want to lose you too. But me trying  _ not _ to lose you ended up with me actually losing you. If.. that makes any sense.”

Ruby reached her hand across the table and placed it gently over his. Jasper stared down at their hands, and Ruby squeezed it gently. “Jas.. I’m sorry. For everything that’s happened to you. I get not wanting to lose people,” she paused. “Well, I try to anyways. But you can’t really go forcing someone to avoid something they enjoy for your own benefit. You know?” 

Jasper simply nodded.

“It’s fucked up, in any circumstances. Even if there are good intentions behind it. Jas,” she looked to him, meeting his gaze. His green eyes were filled with sadness and regret. Other emotions were mixed in as well. “You’re one of my best friends. Friends fight. And.. They get over their differences, right?”

Jasper cracked a smile, the first one all day, “Yeah. Guess you’re right. I get it if you do-”

“Shut it. We’re friends. The end.” Ruby laughed, and Jasper’s smile grew a little bit larger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was originally called "Jasper" but then I realized I spent more time shopping than I did with Jasper oops.  
> Also, this is when I realized Ruby and Jasper are both gemstones and that their names don't have some hidden meaning I switched Ruby's name when i first started it was like Jess or something but I liked Ruby better so it's Ruby


	8. Gambit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Gambit match plays out, and Drifter loves every second of it. Almost, every second of it.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here.” The words echoed off the walls of the empty room. It was first thing in the morning, which usually meant Guardians were around. The Drifter was still getting himself situated when the sound of footsteps met his ears.

“Mornin’ Drift!” The Crimson Warlock smiled. Beside her, the Arcstrider, looking unimpressed.

“Odd seeing you this early Crimson,” he looked to the Hunter, “Even odder seeing your friend back.” The Hunter stared him down, anger in his eyes. “Hey, Brother! I mean no disrespect,” Drifter was in the mood to start a fight this early in the morning. It’s been, what? Over two months now?” He walked closer to the Hunter, placing a firm hand on his shoulder, “Glad to have you back. Now what can ‘ol Drifter do for you two?” He backed away from the Arcstrider, and his gaze fell on to the Warlock.

Drifter was a greedy man. He didn’t know it before, but now he knew he wanted her to himself. He pictured how she looked when she woke up in his bed, confused. Crimson hair sticking up every which way. Her eyes were only half opened. And damn, did she look good in his gi. It’d been weeks since then, and he wanted to see her like that again.

“Got any free Gambit spots today?” The Warlock asked.

Drifter turned around and dug through the schedule of matches for the day. Behind him, Crimson had made a joke to the Arcstrider and she was giggling at him. Arcstrider seemed unimpressed. Drifter smiled to himself. “Well. Looks like we only got single spots opened,” he set his tablet back down and turned to meet the two Guardians. “Can get you two set up for a match tomorrow though. First picks.”

Crimson smiled, “I have an early patrol, but I’m free after that!”

Jasper grumbled out his schedule. A later night match might be best for them.

“I got a 6 o’clock and an 8 o’clock, your pick.”

“Six.”

“Six.”

Drifter nodded, turning back around to enter their details into the roster. “Alright, gotcha guys on tomorrow at 6. It’ll be on the EDZ. Derelict’ll be waiting.” 

“Hell yeah! Thanks Drift!” The sound of two pairs of footsteps filled his ears. He raised a hand up, his goodbye. When the footsteps couldn’t be heard anymore, he let his shoulders drop and he sighed. He needed a drink.

  
  


The Derelict was cold, as always. He was alone, flipping a coin between his fingers. None of this was a good idea. He took a drink with his free hand, the whiskey burning his throat. He never got tired of it.

This whole thing, was  _ not _ a good idea. He doesn’t get attached. He doesn’t get this close. He shouldn’t let himself. Not after Orin.

Gods, not after Orin.

He took another drink, a long one.

He listened to her stories of The Nine. Who they were. What they could do. He held her during those long nights when she cried. Cried over her fallen friends. Cried over Namqi. He opened up to her. She learned his fear; everything. She learned of the resentment he had for being a Lightbearer.

Then she found out.

Drifter took another drink.

She left.

Another drink.

And now look at her. An empty husk of a person she used to be. 

He finished off his bottle, and threw it. He heard it break and he didn’t give a shit. He was scared. More scared than he’d been in a long time. He was attached to the Crimson Warlock. More attached than he needed to be.

  
  


An invasion portal opened, and the Arcstrider jumped into it. Drifter kept eyes on him as he concentrated his Arc energy into a powerful staff. He laughed, as the Arcstrider easily demolished 3 enemies, “Did you wake up pissed today or something? I like it!" He called over their individual comm line. The Arcstrider just grumbled.

His attention returned to the playing fields.

Each team was 50 motes deep. One side was carrying an extra 15, the other had none, they just banked all theirs. He smirked, as he watched a Titan shoulder charge a Fallen Vandal into a wall, squishing it like the bug it is.

“Hostiles, at the beach,” he announced over both team comms.

He watched how a Hunter swiftly banked in 5 motes, before running off to the beach, “Small blocker to the other side!” he announced.

His vision landed on the Arcstrider again, covering for the Crimson Warlock as she reloaded. He tried to follow the Hunter as he ran, but his eyes kept falling on the Warlock. He gulped, maybe it was worse than he thought.

He needed something else. “I spy a high value target, go get ‘em!”

Motes continued to be banked, and he overheard the comm lines. Arcstrider was silent. Crimson was on blocker duty. Another Hunter wanted to invade, and the Titan told him to shut up. Oh, how Drifter loved Titans.

His eyes went to the other team. They were 3 Hunters and a Titan. The Hunters all signed up together, and were probably talking in their own, personal comm line. The Titan made callouts, but no one replied. Drifter shook his head. They were winning though, so they were doing something right.

The last motes were banked, and a Primeval and its envoys appeared. The Titan threw hammers at one of the envoys, and the envoy shot back. The Titan went down shortly after.

“Portal’s open!” he exclaimed, “go get ‘em.”

A Hunter, another Arcstrider, invaded. He watched as the the Arcstriders fought it out, Crimson’s friend being the loser. Drifter smirked, he could hear the anger without even listening in on them. The Titan shielded himself and the Hunter with a bubble, which just left Crimson on the field.

He eyed her. She had taken the top ground, and was looking around. A shot rang out, and hit her square in the chest. She recoiled, but didn’t run. She aimed her scope in the direction and shot. She missed.

“10 seconds ‘till I pull you back,” he announced to the Hunter.

He ran towards the Warlock again at full speed. She was readying her hand cannon, but it was too late. A shotgun hit her in the gut, and she went down. The Hunter smirked.

Normally, he wouldn’t feel bad about anyone going down. But this was  _ Crimson _ , he was watching. He shook his head and kept to his word, 10 seconds were up and the Hunter was back to his team.

“Envoys are compromised, let him have it,” he smirked.

The three Hunters moved in. One tethered the Primeval, while another went at it with spectral blades. The third one tossed a grenade, and shot it with whatever rockets he managed to get. The Titan stood there dumbstruck as his teammates destroyed the Primeval with little problem.

“Primeval’s down, good job,” he announced to the winning team. He switched his comm line to the losing team, “The enemy crushed their Primeval. Game’s over.”

  
  


Back in the Derelict, the teams arrived back to the catwalk. On the winning team, the Hunters did the same dance. In unison. Weirdos. The Titan just stood there observing. On the losing team, the Titan tried to lighten the mood. Crimson just laid on the ground and stared at the ceiling. Arcstirder nuged her with his boot. Even more weirdos.

Why was this entire match full of the weird ones?

“Congratulations! I got motes! You got Glimmer!” he smiled to the winners, and transferred their glimmer over. He looked to the losers, “Oh, yeah, I guess you did okay,” he smirked.

Arcstrider rolled his eyes and popped open his tablet. Crimson was  _ still _ on the ground.

The trio of Hunters left without a word, and the Titan waved a small goodbye. The Titan gave everyone a thumbs up and left, and the other Hunter had just disappeared. Drifter never even noticed him leave.

“Goddamn Hunters,” he muttered to himself. He flipped out his coin, and waited.

Footsteps.

Drifter looked up to see the Arcstrider, “What? Did I ‘short’ you again?”

The Hunter sighed, “Look. About all that.” Drifter raised an eyebrow, and the coin vanished. All attention was on the Hunter. “I don’t trust you. Literally at all. I’m just in it for some extra glimmer every now and again.” 

He glanced back at his friend, who… still laid, sprawled out on the floor. He facepalmed. “She’s a naive idiot sometimes. I don’t want her getting caught up in the wrong shit. But yeah. I fucked up. Said and did a lot of things I didn’t have to. So, yeah. Sorry about threatening to fight you.”

Drifter let out a laugh and set his hand on the Hunter’s shoulder, “Brother, don’t worry about it. You’re not the only one who’s trying to fight me these days,” he looked towards Crimson. “Besides. Just a friend looking out for a friend. I get it.”

The Hunter nodded, and Drifter patter his shoulder. “Now get outta here. Got more motes that need banking.”

The Arcstrider made his way back to his friend. After a brief conversation, the two were gone. And Drifter was left alone, in his cold ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright this is the end of the mass upload of chapters. ive been writing for 3 days and i dont even remember what happened in half of this im just going for it lmao. lets see how far i get until i give this up like everything else ive ever written


	9. Oblivion I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Red war had just begun, and fire team Oblivion are looking for survivors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw; dead body

Fireteam Oblivion searched the streets for victims. The Cabal had wreaked havoc on the Last City, and buildings were collapsed. Oblivion was one of the many teams out looking to help survivors. They were without the Light, so any mistake could prove to be fatal.

The Titan in the front signaled the go-ahead, and the trio rushed across an open area and into the remains of what appeared to be a small apartment complex. Walls were still standing, and the roof was only partially collapsed which was a good sign, all things considering. There only seemed to be three apartments to search, so they all took one.

The Warlock of the group summoned her Ghost, she had a beautiful blue and gold shell, littered with sparkling stars. “Do a quick scan, alright Nara? And keep me updated on the radars.” The little Ghost nodded, and began scanning the rubble of the building. The Guardian followed, eyeing different sections of collapsed apartment. “Hello? Is anyone here? My name is Mia, I’m a Guardian. I can help you!” She continued to call out, in hopes of someone hearing her, as she explored the rooms.

Nara bumped against her Guardian’s helmet. Mia stopped and looked at her. “There’s.. Someone below. But…” 

Inside her helmet, the Guardian frowned. “Well.. We gotta get them out still, right? Dead or alive?” Mia made her way back to the entrance of the apartment, where it was hit the worst. She began clearing the rubble where her Ghost directed her, and Nara took care of the larger pieces of rubble. Her gloved hand hit something soft, and Mia’s breath hitched. Underneath the rubble laid a body of a man. He was in a work shirt, tan slacks, and a briefcase wasn’t too far from him.

Mia had never been good with death. She was even worse with permanent death, human death. She shook her head, mourning for the unknown man.

“I got one,” she said. Her voice was filled with sorrow, “Deceased male.”

The Titan sighed, “None here. Hopefully for the best.”

The third member finally spoke, “Same goes for me. A kid lived here. Hope they’re okay.”

The trio regrouped, leaving the deceased man in the comfort of his home. They didn’t want to leave him, but their priorities layed with the living. Weapons drawn, they continued their way through the empty streets of the Eastern side of the City.

The Cabal were moving in. Their footsteps filled the empty streets. Fireteam Oblivion was looking for survivors in a house when the sound filled their ears. Mia looked at the Titan, he raised a finger to his lips. They moved through the house silently, searching for the Hunter. They found him in the basement, crouching down, helmet off.

“It’s okay,” his voice was gentle. “I’m Jasper. I’m here to help.”

In front of him was a child, he couldn’t be older than 10. His eyes were red and blotchy, most likely from crying. He wore a pair of sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. His weapon of choice was a fire poker from the upstairs fireplace. 

Jasper, glanced behind him. The two Guardians followed his actions and took off their helmets. Mia was a tall Awoken. Her eyes were the color of amber, and her hair was styled into a lopsided, purple mohawk. She smiled at the boy, “I’m Mia.”

The Titan was human, with a muscular build. His hair was short, and he had unusual red eyes. He was intimidating, but he crouched to the boy’s level next to Jasper. “I’m Tenn. Do you wanna see something cool?” he smiled and summoned his Ghost. The Ghost hovered in Tenn’s hand, “Hold out your hand, it won’t hurt, I promise.”

The boy held out a trembling hand, and the Ghost floated into it. It landed delicately, as not to scare him even more. The boy stared at the Ghost and in it’s dark green eye. He was intrigued about the AI in his hand.

Mia took Jasper aside while Tenn comforted the boy. Her voice was barely a whisper, “We have a problem.” Jasper raised an eyebrow. Mia glanced back at the boy, he was smiling as the Ghost opened his shell. She returned her gaze, “Cabal. They’re in the streets. Tenn and I heard them when we were up there.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. Loud footsteps from Legionaries are pretty distinguishable after fighting them for decades now.”

Jasper only nodded. The gears in his head were spinning. They were lightless. No rifts, no barriers, no grenades. If they got shot, there was no healing. If they got shot in the wrong place, it was over. Cabal were in the streets, attacking the City and it’s residents. And now they had a kid they had to get out of here.

Nothing was going to be easy. But they’ve done escort missions before, they could do it.

Jasper nodded, content with his thinking, “It’s just an extreme escort mission.”

“ _ Extreme? _ ” Mia’s voice squeaked. She glanced at Tenn and the boy, they were looking at her. Shaking her head, she returned to Jasper, “Extreme is an understatement. We’re  _ powerless _ . We only have what ammo’s on our bodies or in our guns. Jasper, this could be..” her voice went even quieter, “This is a death escort.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please let me know if there are any other big triggers in this, i will gladly edit the note at the beginning


	10. Oblivion II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fire team Oblivion make a run for it. Their mission? Make sure this little boy gets to safety. At any cost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw; graphic descriptions of wounds & bullet extraction

They were running. Cabal ran after them, hot on their pursuit. The small boy was huddled against the Titan’s chest, tears streaming down his face. Mia was in the back, shooting bullets of her own at the Cabal. Jasper was up ahead, scouting out the best path.

Bullets hit Mia in her stomach, she recoiled but didn’t stop shooting at the Cabal. The smaller Psions had their eyes on her, and Mia was lucky to avoid most of their shots. The larger Legionaries were gaining on her. She started to run to catch up to Tenn, her hand covering the worst shot in her stomach. Pain coursed through her, but she ran. 

Tenn rounded a corner in front of her, and Jasper waved Mia forward. He sent shots towards the Cabal, trying to give her time. Mia tripped, and let out a scream. She was in the worse pain of her life.

“Mia!” Jasper yelled. When it was obvious she wasn’t getting up, he ran to his teammate. “Mia, c’mon, we gotta go,” he grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. Her helmet cracked in the fall, and she was crying. Blood was bleeding through the fabric of her armor. Jasper sent a final barrage of bullets at the Cabal, then focused on getting Mia to safety. 

They hobbled around the corner, meeting with Tenn and the boy.

Time was not on their side.

Exchanging a few words, Tenn took Mia into his arms, and Jasper carrier the boy. Jasper didn’t give as much cover as the Titan did, and the boy was even more scared after seeing the blood on Mia.

The group ducked into a nearby building, out of sight of the Cabal. They stayed silent, with Jasper peeking out to watch the Cabal’s path. They continued onwards. The group was safe, for now. 

Mia tossed off her helmet. Around her eyes, the skin was dark blue, and she had tears streaming down them. Between sobs, she commanded one of her friends to help her out of her armor. Tenn complied. Mia had a green sports bra on underneath her armor. The damage could be easily seen. Above her left hip, there was a bullet hole, leaking blood. That was the bad spot, the shot from an armor-piercing Psion sniper. What was worse was that it was still in her.

“Jasper,” she sobbed. “He can’t be here. It’s a lot for a kid.”

Jasper nodded, he lead the boy further into the building.

“Tenn. Rag. Shirt. Cloth. Something. And something hard. Please.” Her hand kept pressure on her wound, trying to stop the bleeding as much as possible. Tenn nodded, and went on a hunt. Mia wrigled in pain, occasionally hitting her head against the floor to redirect the pain.

Tenn returned with a cloth, and a small metal pipe. Mia stared at him, “I’m gonna scream. A lot. Keep me pinned down.”

Tenn blinked. “Mia, what the fuck are you doing?”

“I know enough about bullet wounds. Longer it stays in, the worse it gets. Breaks more tissue up in there as you move, and it can get infected. Tenn, it needs out.”

Tenn knew next to nothing about anything in the medical field. Mia, however, was one of the smartest Warlocks he knew. He sighed, placing a strong hand on her right hip and her left shoulder.

Mia nodded, placing the metal bar in her mouth and biting down. She took a deep breath, this was going to hurt. A lot.

She poked at the skin around the wound, and it felt like hell. This was not going to go well. Using her left index and middle fingers, she pulled the skin apart. Her screaming started. The metal bar was muffling the screaming. She squirmed in pain, and all Tenn could do was watch his friend suffer.

Tears flooded down her cheeks. The hardest part was yet to come, and she knew it. She took a shaky breath through sobs. Her right index finger and thumb pressed against the hole in her stomach. It’s now or never. They slowly and painfully made their way towards the bullet. 

Mia  _ screamed. _ The metal bar did  _ nothing _ to help now. Tears flooded her eyes, and she squirmed in pain. Tenn held her down firmly, and he looked pale. She couldn’t stop now. The tip of her finger felt metal. She got a grip on it and yanked it out as fast as she could. She dropped it on the ground beside her.

She cried, and yelled, “Let me go, let me go, let me go,” and Tenn complied. Mia curled up on her side, clutching at her wound. “Rag, rag, rag,” she repeated. Her voice was shaky, and her words were barely audible through her tears.

Tenn shook out of his shocked state, and placed the rag on the hole. He pressed down, to stop bleeding.

They were back on the move. The group moved at Mia’s pace, refusing to leave a teammate behind. She winced with every step she took. Jasper was beside her, ready in case she fell. Tenn had the boy, asleep in his arms.

Tenn’s Ghost floated beside him, [If we keep going forward, we’ll reach the main street,] it spoke. [There are more than likely Cabal patrolling it. If we stick to the side streets, we should be okay.] 

Nexus, Jasper’s Ghost, chimed in, [Take this left coming up. It’ll bring up close to the edge of the City. Cabal forces are probably focused on the Tower, and its surroundings. Further we get from there, the better.]

They turned left, sticking to the alleyways and side streets. Nara floated close to Mia. They were close. Nara seemed to understand pain and hurt more than Nexus or Tenn’s Ghost. [Mia, rest if you need to.]

“I’m fine,” she walked past her ghost. “We just need to get out of here.”

Tenn shrugged at Nara, and she joined his Ghost above his shoulder. 

[Guardians,] Tenn’s Ghost called out. [There’s someone, or something, ahead of us.]

The trio stopped. Mia leaned against a wall to support herself.

“I’ll go,” Jasper spoke. “I’m the fastest. If anything happens I can at least lure whoever it is away.”

“Jasper that-”

“Tenn.” Jasper stared at his friend. “You need to make sure he gets out okay. Mia’s tough,” he smiled at the Warlock. “Always has been. Everything’ll be fine.”

Jasper made his way forward, Recluse ready to fire. He turned out of sight of the remaining fireteam. Recluse started shooting, and a Cabal scream echoed through the desolate streets.

Mia’s eyes widened. She was scared for her friend.

“He’ll be fine,” Tenn comforted her. “He has some sorta resilience thing. I swear that prick never goes down,” he let out a low chuckle. “We gotta move.”

Mia nodded, pushing herself off the wall and starting forward. Drang was held in her free hand. She peeked around the corner that they last saw Jasper at. The street was emptied again. “It’s clear,” she said.

[We need to get across,] Tenn’s Ghost chimed in. [We get across, and keep heading further away from the Tower. We can’t be the only ones with the same idea.]

Tenn nodded and started forward, his Ghost following. He glanced up and down the street, nodding. “Empty,” he looked back to Mia, “Hanging in there?” 

She nodded.

Halfway into the street, a shot rang out. Tenn was down, the boy was awake and screaming out of fear. 

Another shot rang out. 

Mia blinked. Everything was happening so fast. She ran, and her body screamed. Pain coursed through her again, and she fought against it. Grabbing the boys’ hand, she tugged him to his feet and pushed him to the other side of the street. “Stay. Right there. Don’t move unless I say. If I yell, you need to run. Run as fast as you can.”

Fear filled the boy’s eyes, but he nodded.

Mia stared out into the street. Tenn was down, but alive. She ran out to her friend, “Tenn, we gotta go!” she cried. 

He simply shook his head. Another shot rang out, and the bullet flew between the pair. Mia recoiled back. “Get him out. Get yourself out,” he flashed a weak smile at the Warlock. 

She shook her head, “No, no, no, no, no, Tenn I am no-”

Another shot flew, this time hitting Tenn in the leg. He groaned in pain, “Get the  _ fuck _ out, Mia.” When she didn’t move, he yelled, “GO.”

Tears flooded her eyes, she took a few steps backwards before sprinting back to the boy. She took his hand and kept going as fast as her body would let her. She turned her head, catching a final glimpse of the Titan. He was on his side, aiming a rifle towards where the shots came from. His Ghost was in pieces next to him.

She turned a corner, and a series of shots rang out. Multiple rounds from an auto rifle, mixed with sniper shots were heard. Mia kept going, tears in her eyes. She didn’t stop until her body gave out on her. She fell to her knees, crying.

She was alone. Hurt. And having to get a child out of this disaster. She looked at him, he didn’t deserve any of this. He didn’t need to see anything. Not a Ghost shattering into pieces. Not Tenn getting shot. Not herself, pulling a bullet out of her body.

Using the walls of buildings as support, she got to her feet. “We need to keep going,” she sniffled.

The boy looked behind him, towards Tenn. “What about him?” he asked. His voice shook. It was so small and fragile.

Mia shook her head, “We need to go.”

The boy walked alongside Mia. They walked for what felt like years. Mia was losing her strength, and in turn, her fight. She had fallen countless times and had to force her body to keep going.

Then they heard it. People. Loud booming voices, directing evacuation. Children crying. Mia never thought the sound of crying children would ever bring her joy. But she was proven wrong.

The two walked a little quicker. Determined to get to safety.

She smiled, as the sight of a Titan in blue armor wielding a shotgun came into view. The boys’ eyes grew wide in admiration at the sight of him. Mia called out to him, and the Titan turned. Nara flew forward, going to meet his Ghost and relay information to the Guardian.

Cheers and happiness turned into a scream as Nara exploded into pieces. Everything happened in slow motion. The Titan was blown backwards, off his feet. Dust, dirt, rock, and debris flew everywhere. The boy ran to hide behind Mia. And all Mia could do was scream. Scream as she saw two Ghosts explode in front of her. Scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, let me know if there are any other additional triggers i should add in. that being said.  
> would you like to see the alternate Oblivion mission? I rewrote it completely and i have no idea what to do with it lmao. back to happy times soon


	11. Drinks II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when Guardians have a drinking contest? Feelings and memories happen, that's what.

Mia downed another shot, smirking at her friend across the table. “I’m not going down  _ that _ easily~” she sang.

Jasper’s eyes narrowed. He waved his hand at Axel, who got 4 more shots from the bar, 2 for each of them. He set them down in front of the competitors. He grabbed a glass, and raised it to Mia, “I know you’re not.” He downed it, and the cycle continued.

The duo had grown a crowd of Guardians and civilians alike. Bets were flying, and everyone was cheering. If there was a bet going on, Cayde was around. He was behind his Hunter, encouraging him. 

Skye was by Axel’s side, saving his spot when he left for drinks. Skye’s cheeks were dark blue, an easy sign of alcohol consumption. Luckily, Axel was keeping her in check. The couple were cheering for Jasper. Ruby sat in between the pair. Her cheeks were pink. She wasn’t particularly cheering for anyone, just in general. 

Jasper leaned back in his chair, exhaling. He was reaching his limit with alcohol. Cayde swooped in with a laugh, “C’mon J! I bet good Glimmer on you!”

The Warlock across from him swirled her glass, eyes him. She raised the glass to her lips, and drank. Her glass hit the table with a gentle tap. “You done, Jaspy?” her voice didn’t waver. There was no sign she was drinking anything besides the growing blue on her face. She ran her fingers through her hair.

Sitting up, the world spun around. Jasper clutched to the table for any type of support. He was swaying in his seat. His words slurred, “I.. Idon.. I’m not gonna.” His head hit the table, and Jasper was out.

The crowd erupted. Axel held Mia’s wrist, and put her arm up in victory. She smiled, and took Jasper’s remaining shot, downing it easily.

Glimmer was awarded to the bet winners, and the bar returned to normal. Cayde, being the great Vanguard he is, took Jasper back to his apartment. He even offered to babysit the drunk, much to everyone’s surprise

Now sitting in a booth, Mia laid her head on Ruby’s shoulder. .Ruby threw an arm around her friend with a laugh. Skye sipped her drink with a smile.

Axel raised his glass, “Who woulda thought, first time out and you kick Jas’s ass.” He laughed.

Smiling, Mia raised a thumbs up. The alcohol was kicking into her system now, with a mix of sleepiness. 

“So.. Who wants first shift?” Ruby asked. Before the competition started, the group agreed to watch the two drunken Guardians in shifts. Cayde had taken care of Jasper, so they had more eyes on Mia. 

Axel shrugged, “I don’t mind. Someone should probably check in with Jasper at some point though.”

“But he has Cay-” Skye blinked, realizing her words. “Yeah, you’re right. I can go bug him.”

Ruby sat alone at the booth. Skye and Axel left with the tired, and drunken, Mia. Skye was going to check in on Jasper and Cayde, while Axel took Mia back to his apartment to watch over her. The bar was getting more of the late night crowd. 

A man, tall, tanned skin, and pale eyes, stopped beside Ruby’s booth, “This seat taken?”

Ruby looked up from her drink, confused, “Uh.. Well.. No, Not rea-”

A gloved hand was placed on the man’s shoulder, and he looked around confused. “Nah, seat’s taken,” he announced. “Get lost,” and Drifter scooted into the booth across from Ruby, much to the man’s dismay. He sighed, and left.

Drifter flashed a smirk, “Be happy, I just saved your ass Crimson.” He took a drink from a glass he was holding, all while watching Ruby. Ruby was still confused as to where Drifter had even appeared from. “Been watching him some of the night. Real creep. And that’s comin’ from me.”

Ruby stifled a laugh, “At least your creepiness.”

Drifter looked as he normally did. Headband hiding his disheveled hair, bags under his blue eyes, and a smirk on his face. The only thing missing from his look were the guns. He looked at his glass, “Your friends sure know how to keep a crowd.” Ruby’s eyes widened, how long  _ had _ he been here? “Had my money on the Warlock, glad that paid off.”

Ruby nodded, “Mia. Her name’s Mia.” She took a sip of her drink, Drifter just shrugged. “How long have you been here?”

“Long enough. Don’t worry, wasn’t eyeing you all night Hotshot,” he winked. Ruby’s face turned bright red, and it wasn’t from the alcohol. Drifter let out a laugh, “Ah, you get flustered too easy. Had some business to take care of. Stayed for the show, then watched that creep,” he nodded in his direction. The creep was at another booth of women, but they had let him sit.

Ruby watched as the man laughed, and slipped  _ something _ into one of the women’s drinks. Her friend noticed and called him out. Loudly. Eyes turned to them. The man got “kindly” escorted out.

The pair sat in silence for awhile. Music played, ice cubes clacked in glasses, and people talked. Except them. Ruby was avoiding eye contact at any cost, her face still flushed red. Drifter, as usual, accepted the silence.

He took a drink from his glass and cleared his throat, getting Ruby’s attention. “How long are you plannin’ on stayin’?” There was a slight nervousness in his voice, and he hoped Ruby didn’t hear it.

She didn’t. Her glass was just ice cubes by this point, but she swirled them around listening to the sound of ice hitting glass. “I was gonna go after this,” she held up her glass, “but.. I can hang around a little longer.” The nervousness in her voice was much more pronounced than Drifters’.

He nodded, “Nah, no worries about it. Don’t want my favorite Warlock in here alone. Not that you couldn’t beat someone’s ass,” he smiled, downing the rest of his drink. “I’d pay some good Glimmer to see that outside of Gambit.”

He stretched his arms, interlocking his hands behind his head. Ruby stared at her glass and the wooden table. The silence was back between them, but the Warlock was anything but. Her mind raced.

The pair exited together, making their way towards the Bazaar. It was dark out, and few Guardians were around. Most of them were either asleep or at the bars. 

Ruby stared at the ground, and Drifter took note. “What’s on your mind Crimson?” he asked, with a small amount of sincerity in his voice. She remained silent, and the man nodded, “Alright, well. You know where to fin-”

“Why did you kiss me?... No, why did you let me pull you back?” Ruby had started pacing, and Drifter watcher her all the while. One of her thumbs stayed close to her mouth, as if she had it as a fail-safe if she started saying too much. Her other arm clung to her body, staying against her stomach. “Fuck, Drift. Is this.. Gonna stay just a ‘thing’? A fling? A friend with a benefit? Or is… Is it gonna be…” she bit her thumb gently. Ruby glanced at Drifter, but then returned to gazing at the ground.

For once, the man who had a comeback for just about everything was silent. The question hadn’t caught him off guard, he just didn’t have an answer. It wouldn’t be his first first fling with a Guardian since he arrived at the Tower. For some reason, some Guardians became infatuated with him, and wanted their hands on him. Even if it was only once.

There was something more, though, with Crimson. Trust. Even just a bit. It was more than he’d give any other Guardian. She was something else, and he didn’t completely understand why. 

The thought of Orin flashed in his mind. That was the last time he fully trusted somebody. She left. Would Crimson leave too? Or would it be different than with Orin? 

He swallowed. He looked over the Warlock, eyes glancing up at him, waiting for an answer that he didn’t have. He was scared. But he’d be damned if he admitted that to anyone. His posture shifted, and he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned slightly to the side. “Tell you what,” he finally said. “Why don’t we take this whole talk somewhere else? Somewhere private?” He said the last part, eyes glancing to some passing by Guardians. 

The Guardian sighed, her hands falling in front of her idly toying with each other. “I shouldn’t asked. Not tonight, anyways,” Drifter nodded, seeming to understand.

Drifter took a step towards the red head, placing a hand on her shoulder, “Derelict’s always open. Just, uh. Give a heads up,” he laughed.

Holding back her friend's hair back was the only thing Ruby could do. The alcohol had completely caught up with Mia. The two women sat in the bathroom, with a bottle of water and medicine beside them. 

The Awoken wiped her mouth, and flushed. She leaned back against the wall, and looked at her friend, “Never let me drink again.”

Ruby nodded. Axel had left a while ago, and it had just been them. Thankfully, she only started vomiting when Axel left, otherwise things may have been awkward. Women knew how to take care of women better than most men do. Ruby handed the bottle to Mia, who took a sip.

“You have no  _ fucking _ idea how much I want to down this,” she said, twirling the bottle in her hand.

“Do it,” Ruby encouraged.

“Didn’t I just tell you not to let me drink again?”

“Yeah, but this is water. You kinda need it. Besides. It’ll come back up anyways.”

Mia stared at the bottle, contemplating her- aw fuck it. She downed the bottle. The water was cold, but not freezing. It was much needed to soothe her throat. She coughed, “It just tastes like vomit. I hate this.”

Ruby laughed, “Gee, I wonder why.”

Mia let out a smile, before lunging forward and throwing up into the toilet again.

Pushing her hair out of her face, Ruby shrugged slightly, “It was good while it lasted.” She rubbed her friends back with her free hand. Mia was not having a good time. 

After she settled, she leaned back up against the wall. She let out a deep breath, and closed her eyes. “I miss her,” her voice quivered.

Nara.

Ruby reached her hand out, covering her friends’. “I… like to think she’ll always be around,” Ruby said softly. Mia and Nara had an incredible bond to each other. Nara understood Mia’s emotions better than most Ghosts could read their Guardians’. Mia managed to take Nara’s worried demeanor and throw it out the window. Mia was the confident one. And her confidence made Nara confident. They were the best Guardian-Ghost pair anyone could ask for. 

Mia nestled her head against Ruby’s chest. “I fucking miss everyone,” the tears started flooding. “I miss Tenn. He was such a goddamn asshole, but I loved him to death. And he.. He... He went out an actual hero, Ruby.”

Ruby let her talk, reminisce about the good times she had with everyone. When the fire team was able to be active. All the while, Ruby rubbed her friends’ back to try and comfort her. Mia spoke about a time when the trio went out for lunch. It was a normal day, but she remembered it because Jasper had thrown an egg from his ramen into Tenn’s. The egg ended up knocking the bowl off the edge of the table, and it spilled over Tenn. He was  _ mad _ . Mia and Jasper were laughing, Mia being in tears.

There was another time, they were out on patrol, and they were playing games to pass the time.  _ “Eye spy something green,” _ Jasper said. Mia shrugged,  _ “I dunno, a tree?” _ Tenn jumped in,  _ “Nah! He’s talking about my gorgeous eyes.”  _ He turned back to his teammates, holding his hand under his chin. He widened his eyes, and blinked, trying to show off his nearly non-existent eyelashes. The trio absolutely lost it.

Ruby gently placed a small kiss on her friend's head, “They’ll always be around, Mee. They keep on going with you, and Jas, and me, and Axel, and Skye. In memories. We won’t forget anyone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello i have v irregular uploads bc college is ass dont do it kids BUT IM STILL HEREEEE


	12. The Derelict

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby and Drifter talk about their feelings

The Derelict was cold, and Ruby came prepared this time. She was bundled in a jacket, sweater, and an undershirt. Her lower half would have to suffer, as she was  _ not _ wearing 3 layers of pants.

Ruby stood, staring off into the ascendant plane behind the ship. It was odd, being able to actually take a look at it in peace. She turned her attention to the catwalk. She followed it, reaching the snow spot that Drifter called home. 

He sat on a crate, fidgeting with something on his workbench. He noticed her from the corner of his eye, however. “Hey Hotshot,” he called out.

Ruby trudged through the snow, wrapping her arms around her body.  _ Did it get colder in here? _ “Hi, Drift.”

He was cleaning a gun. “Just lemme finish this up, take a seat wherever.”

Hopping up on to his bed, Ruby watched him. She couldn’t see exactly what he was doing, but he was being thorough. He brought pieces close to his eyes to examined them, then nodded when he deemed them done. If they weren’t, he continued to polish them. 

Time passed, and few words were spoken. Ruby gently swung her legs, which were just barely off the floor when she sat. 

Drifter stood, pushing his crate back. He stretched out his limbs, some cracking in the process. “Sorry ‘bout that. Wanted to get that out of the way before I forgot about it,” he said, cracking his knuckles.

“I could’ve come later, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’d rather get this out of the way now than later,” he returned to his seat on the crate, but sitting in the opposite way, looking at Ruby. He leaned back, resting his elbow on his workbench. Clearing his throat, he asked the first question, “So, where we starting?”

Ruby fidgeted with her hands, keeping her eyes on them rather than Drifter. She had asked everything so panicked last time. This time, she  _ tried _ to be calm, “Why…” her eyebrows bunched together, “No, where. Where is this,” she gestured to the both of them, “Where is this going. And.. What is it…?” Her gaze fell on Drifter.

“Well,” he cleared his throat again, “It wouldn’t be the first thing,” he flexed his fingers, air quotes, upon saying thing, “I’ve ever had here. You’d be surprised by how many people are attracted to the disheveled man hiding in the basement,” he laughed.

He looked to Ruby, who was nervous as ever. “Right, uh. Look, I’m not good at the whole trusting people thing. Not the best at keeping, uh, any kind of relationships,” his mind flashed to Orin. He shook the thought away. He adjusted himself, leaning his back against the workbench and crossing his arms over his chest. He stared at the ceiling, “But there’s something about you. Can’t put my finger on it. Something special, in two ways, I guess.” 

His knee started bouncing, and he cursed under his breath. He hid it by clearing his throat, “There’s the thing I see in you every time you’re in Gambit. A spark. Winning or losing, it’s there. And that’s something I want in my crew. Not to mention you’re a damn good medic.”

His eyes fell to the Warlock, and she was watching him right back. “I like ‘ya. I said it before, and I’ll say it again. It’s that other something. That something’s making something in  _ me _ scream, ‘I want her.’” Ruby’s cheeks flushed red as Drifter moved to sit next to her. He chuckled, “If you’d take me anyways.” 

There was a sincerity in his voice that Ruby had never heard. It caught her off guard.

“Your choice, Crimson. And know what, I’ll even let you pace it,” he smirked. “Things can go as slow or as fast as you’d want.”

Ruby simply nodded, earning a laugh from Drifter. He turned, and pressed his lips against hers.

Stubble pricked at Ruby’s cheeks, as her eyelids fluttered. Her hands reached up, meeting behind Drifter’s neck. He returned the notion by moving his hands to her waist.

A spark fluttered in Drifter’s chest. One he hasn’t felt in decades, centuries even. He forgot how much he missed it. He forgot how it felt being close to someone and it  _ actually _ meaning something. Ruby’s hand raised to run her fingers through his hair, he sighed softly.

Ruby was huddled up against Drifter. They shared his only blanket, and Ruby had insisted sleeping against  _ him _ . She was cold, but had fallen asleep.

Drifter had some Light in him, whether he liked it or not. Sometimes, it came in handy. His body was warmer due to the Solar energy flowing through him, and Ruby kept scooting closer to him, wanting the warmth.

His hand rested on her hip, with his thumb idly tracing circles. She was his now.  _ His _ Crimson girl. He had a bad habit of calling people ‘his’ too soon. People had called him possessive, in older times. He shrugged them off. 

Ruby mumbled in her sleep, and turned facing him. Her face was pressed against the top of his chest, with Drifter’s head resting on her. He sighed again. He felt  _ happy _ , for the first time in a very long while. He shut his eyes, and he drifted off to the sound of Ruby’s breathing, and with a smile on his face.


	13. Corridors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when you're the first fireteam to get somewhere in the Corridors of Time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay look. i wanted to write something about the current season and it also gives me an excuse to bring granpa saint into this story and i really wanna do that. but cayde is alive during all this so ?????? now this is my own au le t s g o

[What is  _ he _ doing here?] Sagira scoffed.

Osiris crossed his arms, “I asked him to consult on the engineering work.” 

The Drifter smirked, looking directly at Sagira. He might play dumb every now and again, but he was far from it. He’s had centuries of changes and knowledge under his belt, and at the palm of his hand. He extended his middle and index finger out, summoning a black armored Ghost. It’s red eye blinked at him. “Run the numbers,” he said.

The Ghost flew off, and began scanning each spire in front of them. Drifter walked around the Sundial, continuing his examination. He stopped close to the core, leaning in to listen to it. 

Osiris was unphased, “We’ll seal it. I understand the ramifications.”

Drifter let out a laugh, “Good luck keeping that contained, it’s not something I’d bother with.” He beckoned his Ghost back. He despised the thing. But it came in handy for situations like this. The Ghost projected a hologram of data in front of Drifter, and he took it all in. Before long, Drifter shooed his Ghost away and returned his attention to Osiris. “Your math checks out. It’ll work,” he crossed his arms, “But will you find him?”

“No guarantees,” Osiris responded.

“So then why all the fuss?”

“I owe him,” he finally let out a sigh.

Drifter chuckled, “I owe a lot of people, Warlock.”

Osiris started on about ‘after the Traveler brought me back,’ and Drifter quickly cut that short. “No one had anything in the Dark Ages.”

“But I had Saint. I saw him grow from neophyte to demigod.”

“We’ve all had to flex a little. Win a fight or two. ‘S why we’re still around.”

Osiris nodded. “Saint faced his fears and failures better than any of us. He should get a chance to walk to the end.”

“I’ll leave you to it. Lunatic,” he put his hands in his pockets and turned to leave. “If you short-circuit the universe, you’re on your own.”

“If I make a mistake here, you might cease to exist.”

Drifter stopped, “Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad.” He thought about everything with the Warlords. How much death and destruction he saw. Children died. Families were torn apart. He thought about more recently, on that icy planet. The beast that waited and drove them insane. Then when the Light was gone, he-

He shook his head.

“We haven’t talked about payment,” Osiris broke him out of his thoughts.

“If you live through this little experiment, you can be sure I’ll be back to collect.”

“Go home. There are Guardians waiting for you.”.

“Yeah, yeah. Heroes. Vanguard proteges. Can’t wait,” he tossed a hand in the air, his goodbye, and continued walking away from the Sundial. Yeah, Guardians were waiting. They had to turn in bounties, get new ones, sign up for Gambit… But there was one Guardian he really wanted to see. He couldn’t help but have a small smile on his face.

“Go see her, Lightbearer,” Osiris called out. Of course he knew. God dammit. Drifter wrinkled his brow in aggravation, and continued on his way.

The Tower was all hustle and bustle. Almost every Guardian had heard that Osiris needed some assistance. Dozens of fireteams entered the Corridors of Time, some exiting with stories of success. Others came out empty handed. Slowly, but surely, they were mapping things out.

Fireteam Invincible was no different. Ruby and Axel took lead, killing any enemies before Skye entered. Skye kept tabs on all of the portals taken. She looked at the route her team had taken so far, “Clover, Clover, Clover… Are we going Clover again?”

Ruby laughed, “Of course we are!”

Skye sighed, and added another Clover to their path. She watched as Axel and Ruby went through the portal, she followed behind. They ended up back at the beginning of the Corridors. Again.

Axel let out a deep groan, “That was supposed to be the one!” 

Skye noted the route on her data pad, and sent it Osiris’s way. She sighed, “We’ve been at it for hours now, can we go get dinner?”

Ruby frowned at Skye, “C’mon! We can’t quit! I’m sure we’re close!”

“Rubes, we’ve gone through dozens of paths so far. Not one of them has led anywhere,” she crossed her arms. “I don’t think I have it in me to keep going.”

“One more. One more then we can get food. We’re close, I can feel it! Clover, Clover, Clover… It’s not Clover. Maybe it’s Snake?” Her eyes were bright and filled with determination.

Skye stared at her friend for a minute. “Clover, Clover, Clover, Snake. If we end up back here, we’re done. Right?”

Ruby let out a cheer, “Yes!! We can go eat after but I can  _ feel _ it! This is gonna be right!”

Axel reset the Corridor, then proceeded to go in first. Ruby followed close behind him. Skye slowly walked behind them.

Clover.

Fight.   
Clover.

Fight.   
Clover.

Fight.

“SNAKE!” Ruby ran, and disappeared into the portal. 

Axel shrugged at Skye, and followed Ruby. Skye stood at the edge of the portal. She couldn’t see into it. It just looked like it continued onwards forever.  _ Please, let this be the one. _ She stepped through, carefully.

Ruby turned to Skye, “See?! I told you!”

Skye blinked, maybe Ruby was onto something. Or it was just luck.

Axel cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the Hunter and Warlock. “So, uh, where to next, Miss Wizard?”

Ruby’s eyes glowed. She pointed to the Diamond portal. “Diamond. We go to Diamond!” She took off again. She was way too excited about this.

Skye groaned, and turned to Axel, “Please end me.”

“Sorry Love, can’t do that,” he smiled. He too, disappeared into the portal.

Diamond was a success. Ruby was onto something. Clover, Clover, Clover, Snake, Diamond. Ruby led the group through Hex next. It was another success. Que cheers from Ruby, and Skye slowly lost due to exhaustion.

Hex.

The room was empty.

Ruby stared at the markings beside each portal. Diamond, Hex, Snake, Clover. “I.. Um.. Yeah, I have no idea anymore,” she said quietly. 

Axel sat on the stairs to one of the portals, “Soo.. Are we gonna wing it, or just wait until you have another moment?”

“Fuck. That.” Axel and Ruby turned to Skye. “I’m exhausted. I’m hungry. My feet hurt. I’m not waiting around for you,” she turned to look directly at Ruby, “to have another ‘oh I know this!’ moment.” She glanced at the 4 portals, and started her way towards Diamond. “I’m going in here. If it continues, I’m going to scream.”

“Skye, but you-” Axel was cut off.

“I don’t  _ care  _ if I get killed if it keeps going. I just want to go home for fuck’s sake!” She disappeared through the portal.

“Shit,” mumbled. He quickly followed behind Skye.

Ruby stared at the portal for a moment before entering herself.

The backs of the two Awoken greeted Ruby. They didn’t speak. There were no noises from Vex. It was silent. Ruby took a step forward, her boot meeting the ground being far too loud. She pushed through her teammates.

In front of them were coffins. Three, to be exact. Each had a plaque leaning against it, but the team was too far away to read them. On top of the coffins were a metal coated Trust, Misfit, and Foggy Notion. 

Ruby’s hand tightened around her gun, Trust. She looked at her teammates, each wearing the same scared and confused expression that she was. Axel brought his rifle closer to him, Misfit. Skye stared ahead with fear in her eyes, Foggy Notion on her back.

Axel moved first. He knelt beside the plaque. The Titan symbol. He glanced at the other two plaques. One was a Hunter symbol, the other was a Warlock symbol. “We… Died.”

Word traveled fast. Clover, Clover, Clover, Snake, Diamond, Hex, Diamond. Some Guardians who followed the path found their resting place, with their weapon of choice on top, and their mark on a plaque in front. Not every Guardian had a coffin. Sometimes a fireteam was greeted by empty space. Some fireteams had their entire team wiped. Most fell in between. No one knew who had found the first successful path. This brought a new energy to the search that wasn’t there before.

Skye, Ruby and Axel ate in silence. Ate, being a very loose term. Ruby pushed her meal around on her plate using a fork. Axel, took small bites of his. And the once hungry Skye simply stared. None of them wanted to see their final resting place. None of them even thought they’d have one. The Corridors of Time were fucked up.

“I’m not going back in,” Skye barely broke the silence. Her voice was quiet, and filled with sorrow and fear. No one knew when the day would come. But now they all knew it was going to happen. Skye stood up, uneaten meal in hand, “I’m going home.” She tossed her food, and started in the direction of her apartment.

Axel looked at Ruby, “I should… Go with her.” Ruby nodded, and Axel chewed the remainder of his food before going after Skye.

Ruby sighed, and stood to trash her food. She could go home. Curl up in her bed, surrounded by warmth. She could cry until she fell asleep. Her final death could be centuries away, or it could be tomorrow. She didn’t know, and she didn’t want to find out. She started walking in the one direction that might be able to bring her some comfort.


End file.
